Samurai Warriors: Rise of the Dragon
by Assassin master ezio 91
Summary: Part one of my Shogunate War series; after discovering a startling truth about the new young Shogun, things change rapidly, one mighty warlords death sparks outbreaks of rebellion throughout the land. The Shogunate fights to defend itself as two warlords rise to stake a claim to it; but another has risen, desperate to free himself from Shogunate rule; now the dragon shall soar.
1. Prologue

**Samurai Warriors: Rise of the Dragon**

Prologue of a new Samurai Warriors story, planned to be the first of a series, enjoy.

Disclaimer: Samurai Warriors belongs to Koei.

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**Prologue: A Sudden Turn of Events**

The light from the flickering torch barely reached inside the cell. It was a damp and dark place, with its only occupant huddled in one the corners. He was wearing a filthy kimono, stained with dried mud and blood, though the barely visible designs showed that he had some wealth or power before his imprisonment. His black hair, though usually a mess to begin with, was completely dishevelled and went down over the length of his forehead. The man sighed and then shook his head, the events of the morning still running through his head.

He had woken up to the sounds of shouting only to find his residence under siege by the Shogunate's forces, who were butchering his bodyguards and trying to seize him. He fought bravely, but eventually was outnumbered and cornered. He thought that his imprisonment would be brief, that his forces in the city would try to rescue him. His hopes were dashed however when he heard that many had defected and the remaining loyalists had either been butchered, went into hiding, or fled to Gifu.

So now he, the great Nobunaga Oda, the one who had achieved so many victories, was now reduced to this. He had overcome the odds and everyone's doubt at Okehazama and conquered the unconquerable at Mt. Inaba! And now he was reduced to nothing. Betrayed by the child of the puppet that he had installed. But that was where he had went wrong, at first he had had his suspicions, after all the children of Yoshiaki Ashikaga and Senhime failed to bear any resemblance to their father, but they were just that; suspicions.

However, he could never get them out of his mind and eventually he launched a secret investigation, and found that his suspicions were correct. Senhime had had an affair and all of their children were not actually Yoshiaki's but some unknown court noble's. When Yoshiaki had died and his eldest "child", Yoshitsune, had risen to the throne, he sent for his friend Ieyasu Tokugawa, since his investigations also revealed that he was the closest living relative to the Shogun. Installing Ieyasu as Shogun would be a political masterstroke, the man was already in debt to him from Okehazama, and bowed to him in all but name, so by installing him he would be eternally grateful... and complacent.

However, the night before he was to set his plan in motion, last night, he had a bit too much to drink and accidentally revealed to Toshiie his plan. That was his first mistake of the night. His second, and last, would be underestimating Toshiie's aptitude for politics. The man snitched to the young Shogun and that set in motion the events that led him to this horrid cell. To thank the darned traitor, the Shogun appointed him as Treasurer.

He then heard the door creak open and some light managed to enter. Looking up he saw that a jailor had entered, although he was more curious about the man than worried. The old man wasn't all too intimidating, he limped on his right leg and his left eye was completely white, signifying blindness. While he doubted the fact that they would make a cripple a jailer, the new Shogun was not all too quick. What puzzled him more was that the man with his short moustache looked familiar.

"What now?" Nobunaga asked. His voice was tense; he was trying to figure out how the man was familiar.

The man smiled and spoke. "Come now Nobunaga, it's not polite to talk that way to one who wishes to help you."

It was there, in that mocking tone of voice, that Nobunaga recognized who the man was. The man was no jailor, it was a mere disguise.

"Fujitaka?"

The man nodded and Nobunaga saw it clearly, it was him, Fujitaka Hosokawa, the Shogunate's spymaster. Fujitaka was infamous for his vast array of disguises and for his seemingly inexhaustible network of spies throughout the land. Thanks to them he knew things others didn't, sometimes even before they happened. Yet he was cunning and everything he told people was filtered by his own agenda, as such nobody trusted him beyond what they had too.

"Yes, it is me, Nobunaga." Fujitaka explained. "It seems you were too trusting... and it has cost you dearly."

Nobunaga just snorted. "I'm just surprised it wasn't you who betrayed me, you knew what I was planning after all."

Fujitaka nodded, confirming his knowledge of the plot, and his inaction. "Toshiie has been conspiring against you for some time; the lure of power is truly great, especially for one as ambitious as Toshiie."

Nobunaga turned away and sighed. "Is that so?" his slogan lacked the usual mocking, rhetorical tone to it. This time it was truly a question. Shaking his head he looked back up to the bald man.

"Did you come here to bore me, or do you have something important to say?"

Fujitaka laughed, a harsh, croaking sound and he stepped further into the cell and spoke again, his voice low.

"Your sister has begged the Shogun to show mercy…She's spun a tale about a wound you received in battle, the one you were being treated for when you made your…discovery, shall we say." He informed Nobunaga. A smile crept onto his face, even now his sister still tried to help him.

"She claimed that the medicine affected your mind, which was why you were defiant, and that you would confess your treason if given the chance. Otherwise you will be ordered to commit seppuku; think on it for your sister's sake."

Nobunaga's smile quickly changed to a frown. These were his choices; death or exile. Before he gave his answer however, he had one last question. "Why are you trying to help me Fujitaka?"

"My clan comes before some idiotic teen. Your death may or may not help its fortunes, but I would rather play it on the safe side." So that was his motivation.

The Hosokawa clan was older than the Ashikaga, as old as the Yamana and Hojo. Fujitaka was loyal to his clan first, and since he was its head, himself first. So thus he would do whatever he could to preserve it. Nobunaga sighed; he would have to formulate a plan quickly if he was to escape.

"Very well..."

* * *

The dank, decrepit building that the remaining Oda officers were residing in was a vast step down from their former quarters in Honnoji, but it was something they would have to get used for the moment. One of the occupants, a dark haired samurai clad in blue, looked out from one of the windows. It appeared that the Shogunate's soldiers had stopped looking for them, but that did not mean they were safe by a long shot. The middle-aged man turned to look at the others in the room. The one standing next to him was a young man in yellow and white, a floppy hat covered his black hair.

"Is it safe yet Mitsuhide?" asked said man.

"It's still too dangerous Hanbei. They may not be looking for us in the streets anymore, but undoubtedly they'll be guarding all exits. We cannot escape just yet." Mitsuhide replied.

Hanbei nodded. "Well, someone has to go out, we're missing someone."

Mitsuhide nodded; one of Nobunaga's strongest loyalists had been separated from them and was missing; Nobunaga's bodyguard, Ranmaru Mori. Still pondering this they both headed through to the other room in the hovel. There they found the other three loyalists Mitsuhide had been able to rescue and take to safety from the Oda purge. Sitting silently, meditating was the muscular form of Katsuie Shibata; seated nearby, relaxed and elegant as ever was Nobunaga's wife, the Lady Nō. The final figure was a young girl in her teens with dark red hair and green eyes; Mitsuhide's daughter, Gracia. They all looked up and noted the grim expressions of both Mitsuhide and Hanbei.

"So the boy is still missing." Nō remarked and they both nodded.

Gracia looked worried. "Father; we can't…"

Mitsuhide sighed; he knew he had to make a decision.

Finally he made up his mind.

"Katsuie." He called out; Katsuie opened his eyes and nodded. "Keep everyone safe, I'll be back as soon as I retrieve Ranmaru."

Katsuie stood up. "Understood."

Gracia looked worried but did not say anything as Mitsuhide walked downstairs, the staircase creaking with every step he took, and left the old building.

* * *

Mitsuhide quickly walked through the streets, as he walked past some nearby guards he pulled down his wicker hat that he had brought with him and pulled the cloak around him closer. His monk disguise seemed to work, the guards continued talking amongst themselves rather than noticing him. As he continued to navigate through the streets, constantly looking around for the boy and guards, something in the back of his head continued to tell him something was about to happen.

This intuition was proven correct when he saw that a large crowd had gathered in front of the Shogun's Palace. While he was about to ignore the crowd entirely and move on, dismissing them merely as angry protesters, he spotted a familiar face. It was Ranmaru. While the young man did not have his Nodachi, Mitsuhide had that back at their hideout, he was trying, and failing, to hide a wakizashi up the sleeve of his Kimono. The poor boy did not even have a chance to change out of his sleepwear. As the "monk" continued to navigate through the crowd, he looked up and saw that there was a makeshift platform in the centre.

On it was the young Shogun, his mother; Senhime, the Shogunate's Spymaster; Fujitaka Hosokawa, Nobunaga's sister; Oichi and two guards behind the Shogun. As he moved closer he managed to make out two more figures; one of them was a guard holding a katana and the other was... Nobunaga. He stopped behind Ranmaru, waiting to see what would happen. One of the guards then stepped forward.

"Do you, Nobunaga Oda, confess to plotting against his Excellency while under the influence of your medicine?" Nobunaga sighed, swallowing his pride as he gave his answer.

"Yes..." with that one, half-hearted word he was defeated. At least he would be able to keep his life. The guard then turned to the Shogun so efficiently it looked rehearsed. Which it probably was.

"Does his excellency wish to give the prisoner clemency under the outstanding circumstances?" silence reigned for a few moments as the Shogun considered his options.

"No." the teen replied. At that one word, Oichi was horrified, Senhime and the guards looked shocked, Fujitaka just looked amused, and the crowd was sent into a frenzy. Nobunaga just sighed; it would appear he would have to resort to his back-up plan.

Fortunately the fools had given him a blade to commit seppuku with, so he picked it up, and pushed it forwards as if he was preparing to plunge it into his stomach. He then quickly stepped up and swung around, cutting the guard with the katana across the chest. Before the man even fell to the ground the other two guards charged spear-first while Nobunaga grabbed the katana from the dead guard. He then threw the ceremonial blade at one of the guards, the tip finding its way into the man's chest, and then used his katana to parry the other's attack and then decapitate the man. Before he could continue he heard Oichi scream. He quickly turned to see the Shogun holding Oichi, a duelling pistol placed against her temple.

"Drop it NOW!" the boy shouted.

"Why should I have to listen to a ba-" then a shot rang out before Nobunaga could finish that one word. The teen's gun was now at his side, smoke still billowing out of the barrel, but Oichi was not dead. Realizing this, Nobunaga looked down and saw a pool of blood forming on the front of his kimono. The Shogun shot him. Then to the amazement of others and the terror of the Shogun, Nobunaga dropped the sword and started to laugh.

"You fool..." Nobunaga then continued to laugh like a maniac as the pool grew bigger, the only sign that he had actually been injured.

"By killing me... you have lost the war." Then he dropped to his knees.

"And now all hell will break loose!" he then let out another bout of laughter before falling to the ground, dead. The young Shogun's knees were now knocking and Oichi managed to pull herself away from his grip. The crowd the broke the silence it had formed at the sound of the gunshot and started yelling at the platform and trying to climb it.

Both Ranmaru and Mitsuhide had seen all of this unfold, and Mitsuhide knew what was about to happen next. Before Ranmaru could scream out and charge the stage, he quickly covered the teen's mouth with his hand and then twisted Ranmaru's hand, forcing him to drop the weapon before he could try to kill him with it. He proceeded to drag Ranmaru away from the crowd, despite the boy's kicking and into an alleyway.

He had acted just in time, as he saw a large amount of soldiers running in the direction that they came from. He then pinned Ranmaru against the nearby wall, and removed his hat. Ranmaru's eyes grew wide in shock, but then reverted back to ones of anger as he continued to flail. He finally let go of the boy's mouth only for him to yell.

"Let me go! I have to avenge Lord Nobunaga!"

Mitsuhide shook his head. "Quiet Ranmaru, before the guards hear. Look at me, you have to calm down. You will have a chance later but now it is too dangerous. All you will accomplish is getting yourself killed."

Ranmaru glared. "But, Lord Nobunaga…!"

Mitsuhide pulled Ranmaru further away. "I know this has affected you; but don't throw your life away…I have a plan. But I need your help. If you come with me and the others. We'll have a much better chance, then you can claim vengeance."

Ranmaru slowly calmed down and finally accepted Mitsuhide's proposal, so, avoiding the main streets and guards they returned to the hovel. Once entering, the others looked relieved to see him and they all sat down and began to discuss. Ranmaru was quiet however, thinking of his failure.

* * *

Meanwhile, as the crowd was ordered to disperse and forced to do so by the guards after they refused to do so on their own, Nobunaga's body was taken away as the Shogun returned to his palace after recovering from his "outburst". His mother attempted to lecture him for needlessly adding a spark to the powder keg they faced while Oichi was taken back to her room, hysterically crying as the other people present, members of the council, also left. Soon Fujitaka stood alone with a small smirk on his face.

'So, the spark has been lit...' He thought quietly 'While not as I planned, I can still turn this to my benefit. When the smoke finally clears, the Hosokawa clan shall finally be triumphant!'

With that he turned and headed inside himself.

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End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	2. Chapter 1

**Samurai Warriors: Shogunate War**

First official chapter of my Samurai Warriors story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Wolfgirl2013: Thanks, glad you liked it :)  
Diao Lover: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it; yeah, well, now everything changes.  
facebook addicted: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, glad you liked all the plot twists and such :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Samurai Warriors belongs to Koei.

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**Chapter 1: Ieyasu Spreads the Word**

The night sky was clear; no clouds to hide the stars and moon. The night air was crisp which only helped to added to the appeal. Tadakatsu stood on a hill, enjoying such aesthetics while practicing against imaginary foes, swinging his massive spear in an organized manner. Every strike he made, every swing he threw, he got further and further away from the chaos of the recent days. Still, no matter how hard he tried, he could never fully push them out of his head. Deciding he needed a break, Tadakatsu sat down underneath a nearby cherry tree. He looked up at the full moon, thinking about what had happened.

Five days ago they had received a message from the now deceased Nobunaga and Tadakatsu's lord; Ieyasu Tokugawa, had read the message and decided to confide in him about its contents. While it came as a surprise to him that not only the children of the dead Shogun were illegitimate but that Ieyasu was also the closest living relative, he would follow his lord anywhere. Three days ago, right as they were about set out for the capital in accordance with Nobunaga's plan, they heard about the sudden death of said Daimyo. Ieyasu was forced to rapidly change his plans in accordance with the new, chaotic, political situation.

He had declared the current Shogunate corrupt, led by an illegitimate child who had no right to the title of Shogun. And since he was the closest living relative, even though only a second cousin, he was still the most eligible to rule the Shogunate. So he had taken the title and announced his intent to destroy the little tyrant to avenge his friend. There were difficulties however; by now news of Nobunaga's death will have spread throughout the land, there were certainly those who would react strongly. So Ieyasu had called a council; all those loyal to him within his three provinces, Mikawa, Suruga and Totomi, would attend and they would decide their next move.

"Father?"

Tadakatsu looked down and turned to his left. A young woman with long black hair stood next to a heavily armoured warrior. Both were approaching him and in turn, he rose to greet them. He then smiled at his children, besides his lord they were the only ones that had ever seen him smile. "Ina, Tadamasa, what are you doing here?"

"Lord Ieyasu requested we come get you, you've been gone for two hours and the meeting is about to start." Tadakatsu was unsettled by that statement. True, he was not the best judge of time, but he thought he would at least be able to tell when he should have returned. He shook his head, it was inconsequential now. He grabbed his spear and turned back to his children.

"Then there is not much time. I will not allow my warriors pride to be stained by being late to serve my lord, so come!" He took off, leaving his two children to catch up to him, and ran back into the castle. He then burst into the council room rather dramatically, drawing the attention of everyone present, and then proceeded to take his seat. Before anyone cold question, his two children entered. Ina and Tadamasa then sat down next to their father, then looked at a young squire sitting next to a man wearing a large amount of steel armour. While the man did not look to be much, being short, portly and balding, his eyes and posture displayed a certain level of determination and austerity that would make most aware of the ambition, and the capacity to fulfil it, beneath his armour.

Seeing that the three had situated themselves, Ieyasu looked around at the gathered lords. They were sitting in two rows, the ones on the front being the more notable and the closest being the most important. Seeing that everyone had gathered, Ieyasu looked down at a squire sitting next to him. In front of him were various pieces of parchment and a copious amount of writing utensils.

"Excellent, now that we are all here-" Ieyasu stopped as he became aware that a "shadow" was missing. "Hanzo, you may take a seat as well." When he said that a man wearing black and purple dropped from the roof and landed expertly behind Ieyasu. Ieyasu did not have to face the man to know that he shook his head in disapproval. He merely sighed, that ninja could be the most stubborn of people even when there were no threats. Quickly recovering from this, he continued.

"-I shall now formally announce the contents of Lord Nobunaga's letter; the current 'Shogun' is illegitimate and has no right to his title; and being the closest living relative, the title should fall to me. I shall strive to live up to the title, but we face a grave challenge."

He paused and then continued.

"We must ensure that everyone knows the truth… When the time comes to choose sides, I want nobody to claim ignorance as an excuse for not siding with me!" the man boldly announced. He then looked down at the young man sitting next to him. "Tadatomo, read the letter you have written, regarding what we have discovered."

Tadatomo nodded and picked up the letter. Tadakatsu felt a burst of pride that his son had written the letter; while not unintelligent; Tadakatsu had not had a good start at life and as such, was illiterate. His son had been taught by Ieyasu and wished to teach his father, but Tadakatsu felt it was unnecessary for a warrior such as himself to read and write.

Tadatomo cleared his throat and read.

"In response to the discoveries provided by the research of my dear friend, Lord Nobunaga…"

Ieyasu turned to Tadatomo, glaring. "Dear friend? We were still friends, but Nobunaga has never been dear to me since that incident with Nobuyasu."

There was stiffness in the room; everybody knew how badly his eldest son's death, ordered by Nobunaga for treason, had affected Ieyasu. It had also affected his family life; his only living child, young Hidetada, now rarely saw his father and he was distant from his wife, Tsukiyama. Tadakatsu sought to dispel the tension.

"A harmless courtesy, my Lord." He explained.

Ieyasu shook his head. "A lie, take it out; this document must hold naught but truth."

Tadatomo nodded and crossed out the part that needed amended. He cleared his throat again and continued.

"…It has been concluded that the Shogun, Lord Yoshiaki Ashikaga, left no true heir. His three children being the products of affairs committed by Lady Senhime and therefore have no right to succession. As the Eldest surviving relative of the Shogunate family; I shall strive to carry out the duty of Shogun and keep the land at peace. Regrettably this will require war should the pretender not stand down; but if that is the cost, then it shall be paid and every effort expended not to cause undue harm to the people."

He looked up, having finished reading, Ieyasu nodded satisfied and gave orders for copies to be made at once and sent to all Daimyo's in the land. Letting the word spread, along with news of Nobunaga's death. Tadatomo nodded and picking up his equipment, hastily left to start writing. Tadakatsu then turned to his lord.

"My Lord; all of us present and our armies are yours; but given the circumstances... We will be heavily outnumbered on all sides. Even a warriors pride cannot overcome one hundred to one odds." Ieyasu morbidly nodded.

"We shall have to break through the siege of Inabayama and try to get the remaining Oda forces to join us if we will even have a chance against the Shogunate."

"My lord, even if were able to break through the Shogunate's army and join with the Oda, they would still outnumber us at least seven to one. And those numbers are on the condition that the Oda even side with us." a retainer pointed out.

"I am aware; we have but one choice..." the man then took a deep breath, as if he was swallowing his pride.

"I need you all to go to your lands and hire ronin." Ieyasu said as quickly as possible. This surprised everyone present; they all knew Ieyasu's thoughts on the landless samurai; and his massive hatred of them. Despite the air of shock that had flooded the room, the various nobles and lords then bowed and filled out.

A few days had passed and soon the time limit that Ieyasu had set to gather as many ronin as possible will have as well. Tadakatsu had no idea how the others were coping, but he knew that Ieyasu's letter had caused outrage throughout the land, but things did not turn out as Ieyasu hoped.

The land had been divided between four armies now, The Shogunate, which currently had a force in Mino, attacking Mt. Inaba castle, where the last of the Oda army was holed up. Ieyasu's army still consisted only of those in his three provinces. Also being a distant relative to the deceased Shogun, Motonari Mori had raised his massive army in an attempt to claim the Shogunate for himself.

A coalition had formed in the northern regions too, led by Masamune Date, he "allied" with the Kanto Trio; Shingen Takeda, Ujiyasu Hojo and Kenshin Uesugi. Now they were marching on Mino with the intent of saving the Oda forces in Mt. Inaba and to claim Mino as their base. Ieyasu was incensed by this and decided to rally his men and make his first move. But he was still waiting on the Ronin.

Tadakatsu sighed as he walked along the coastline; with him was Tadamasa and the leader of the Ronin group he was planning to hire. The leader was an unsettling sight, with black hair and eyes contrasting his bone white skin. His pitch black clothes and red coat were complimented by a rather large sword that he had swung over his shoulder.

"Ieyasu hiring ronin? He must be truly desperate. And last time I checked the desperate are willing to give anything." the man stated in a sadistic, mocking, tone.

Tadakatsu sighed, as much as he wanted to rip the freak's head off of his shoulders; he had been given an order to hire him. "You will be rewarded for your loyalty, Kojiro."

Kojiro just laughed. "Rewarded? With what? My men need money... and I understand that Ieyasu has very little of it to go around."

Tadakatsu shook his head. "When he seizes the Shogunate... he will have enough money to pay you, ten times over." Kojiro then looked thoughtful off into the distance, contemplating the offer.

"Hmm, that will do for my men... but not for me. I have another idea." He paused and then turned back to Tadakatsu. "There is a swordsman in this land, called Musashi Miyamoto. I yearn to challenge him to a duel... If I fight for you; will Ieyasu track him down for me?"

Tadamasa glared. "Our lord isn't fighting so you can track down some swordsman." Tadakatsu restrained his son with a glared before turning back to Kojiro, even though he did share the sentiment.

"Very well, if those are your terms, then so be it."

Kojiro smiled sadistically once more. "Then so be it." Tadakatsu sighed again; he feared he had just made a deal with the Devil.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	3. Chapter 2

**Samurai Warriors: Shogunate War**

Next chapter of my Samurai Warriors story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Wolfgirl2013: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.  
Diao Lover: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, especially that bit, hope you enjoy this one :)  
facebook addicted: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Samurai Warriors belongs to Koei.

* * *

**Chapter 2: The Cost of an Alliance**

Masamune Date moved aside the flap to a rather large tent and entered, his good eye gazing around at the occupants. How many years had it been since he had been able to see out of both eyes? The tent contained the most senior officers from his "Northern Alliance"; a coalition of the lords east of the Shinano Mountains to oppose the Shogunate. The two men who were closest to him were the Dragon of Echigo and the Lion of Sagami; Kenshin Uesugi and Ujiyasu Hojo, and the other leaders of this triumvirate.

They had brought with them their more senior retainers to this meeting as well; Kenshin's sister Aya, someone who constantly set him on edge for a reason he could not fathom, and the Naoe father and son, Kagetsuna and Kanetsugu, made up the Uesugi section. In the Hojo's side was the Narita family; Ujinaga and his lively daughter Kai. Masamune's eyes darted around, where was Ujiyasu's pet ninja? He knew that Fuma had tendencies to appear anywhere he wished and would not think twice about killing him if it meant continuing the "chaos". In fact Ujiyasu was probably the only reason he was alive right now.

He shook his head, as long as Ujiyasu could keep him on a leash now, he would be able to kill Fuma later.

"Are you just going to stand there and stare or are you going to take a seat?" Ujiyasu's jeering brought him back to reality, and he walked over to the Date's section where some of his retainers, including a refugee from Kyushu, Toyohisa Shimazu, were. When Masamune realized that all eyes were on him, he spoke up.

"Okay, listen up, 'cause I'm only going to say this once!" Masamune boldly announced. Ujiyasu just rolled his eyes but decided to save his sarcastic remark.

"Our first goal is to reach Mino and save the Oda garrison there; they'll bolster our numbers and help us establish a beachhead to assault Kyoto with." Masamune explained while pointing at said destination on the map in front of them all.

"That's a lovely plan boy, but last time I checked there was a mountain range and a siege separating us from the Oda." Ujiyasu then coolly exhaled smoke from his pipe while Masamune turned back to the map, trying not to throw a tantrum in front of the war council. "I know that! We're going to have to go through Kai and Shinano if we want to make it safely to the other side." At the mention of Kai Kenshin seemed to jolt to life.

"Nemesis... He will not just let us walk through Kai." Ujiyasu just laughed.

"And how can we not trust you to just ride off and challenge him to another Kawanakajima, Kenshin?"

"There is no honour in attacking a bystander, and thus no joy in battle." Kenshin reasoned, a reasoning that only the other Uesugi seemed to understand.

"And what if he attacks first, is there "joy" then?" Ujiyasu asked, half serious.

"ENGOUH YOU IMBICILES!" Masamune shouted, his hands planted on the table holding the map. Kenshin and Ujiyasu just looked at him, completely undisturbed.

"Remind me why we elected this fool to lead us, again?" Ujiyasu asked Kenshin. Before he could respond a tall and dark figure materialized behind Masamune and grabbed the boy by the neck.

"I could always kill him Ujiyasu, it would be more quiet." Masamune's good eye tilted upwards to look at the assailant, although he already knew it was Fuma. He then looked around, no one dared to move.

"Eh... Let him live Kotaro... He's useful in his own way." Kotaro then dropped Masamune and rematerialized next to Ujiyasu. He growled, and then gritted his teeth, but know was not the time to gun someone down. Getting back up he looked over at Ujiyasu.

"Just as I have my uses, so do you! You're his brother in law, get him to join us!" Ujiyasu just sighed.

"Fine, fine. But I talk to Shingen alone." Masamune sighed and then waved his hand dismissively. The others present had been around him long enough to know he was agreeing. Ujiyasu then got out of his seat and proceeded out of the tent towards Kofu, Shingen's capital.

"What now?" Kai asked.

"I suppose I'll go make some tea for all of us." Aya said. She then got up and left the tent herself. Masamune watched her go, warily. He then looked back to where Ujiyasu was sitting and noticed that Kotaro was gone as well. He just sighed again; he would have to be patient.

As the hours passed Masamune became more and more agitated. The longer this took the more likely they would need to fight their way through Kai Province; which would cost them time and troops. If they arrived too late to save Mt. Inaba Castle then they would face a much more difficult battle. Just then his most trusted retainer; Kojuro Katakura, approached him.

"Lord Date; Lord Ujiyasu has returned." He informed Masamune. Masamune immediately perked up at that and rushed out of the tent to see Ujiyasu approaching. "Well? What did he say?"

"He's agreed to see you, but he has something to say about passage through Kai and our little alliance. I'd suggest you listen closely."

Masamune nodded. "Fine, let's go, the Takeda Cavalry will be a great addition to our army."

Masamune then gave the order to a nearby soldier to start packing up camp and spread the word. They travelled for the next few hours to Kofu, and when they arrived at the gates Shingen was waiting for him; sitting down on a collapsible stool, sipping a cup of sake.

"Welcome, Masamune. So, I hear you're the leader of some grand alliance or another. And I also hear you want to come through my territory." he then took another sip of his sake. Masamune paced back and forth in front of the man like a caged beast, though he did not appear to be intimidated in the slightest.

"Ujiyasu's told me you may be willing to let us through, but you want something in return right?"

Shingen went silent and Masamune was suddenly worried he may have let his tongue get ahead of his head. Shingen then burst into a bout of hearty laughter after a few seconds.

"Straight and to the point, I like that." He cleared his throat, calming down.

"Very well; I have not taken the oath that Kenshin and Ujiyasu did, but I still want to ensure my place in your... new order, shall we say?" Masamune frowned, wondering what he had planned.

Shingen then took another sip. "So I want to establish a powerful bond, a familial one. If you marry my daughter Akane once we win, I will provide you passage and my men." Masamune was shocked, sure marriage alliances were common but since he was his own lord he figured that he would be able to find and marry who he wanted to. But, the necessity of safe passage outweighed any desire of choice and he really did not have one.

"Fine."

Shingen smiled. "Excellent, give me some time to get my men and we will be on the move. Sake?" Shingen asked as he held up an empty cup and a bottle. He shook his head.

"No, one of us has to be sober to lead an army. When you get your men ready tell them we're heading to Mt. Inaba."

Shingen just laughed. "At least there's something in that head of yours. I will see you in a few hours or so." He then stood up and went back into the gated city, leaving behind his stool and the bottle of sake.

The Northern Alliance's army had navigated through Kai and the Shinano mountains, and now were at the border of Mino. Masamune called for another War Council from the different armies to convene, and they did so, now in the slightly more crowded commander's tent. Masamune, in the centre of every one, motioned to the tactical map of Mino before them.

"Our biggest problem is the enemy isn't all grouped in one place." Masamune stated.

"That's also our saving grace boy." Ujiyasu noted. Masamune just ignored him and continued.

"They have a force attacking Mt. Inaba; they have scouting parties that have probably seen us and are on their way to report us, and they also have garrisoned forces in all of castles all over Mino."

"I'd say Sunomata is our chief concern." Ujiyasu explained. "That's where the commander of this army is... Kanbei Kuroda."

Most of the people in the room tensed at that name, Kanbei Kuroda was both an intimidating sight and a merciless foe. Perhaps his reputation preceded him, common men and soldiers had tendencies to exaggerate, but he was still a force to be reckoned with.

Masamune nodded. "I'll think of something to distract him while we take care of the army at Inaba."

Kenshin stood. "Let me do battle with him." Aya shook her head in disapproval.

"Dear brother, while we need to split our army, the one to fight Kanbei must be cunning and underhanded as he is." She stated.

Masamune smirked. "Cunning and underhanded? Just what we need to distract Kanbei... Ujiyasu, sounds like you would be best suited to fight Kanbei." Ujiyasu just grunted as a response, but didn't offer a rebuttal.

"Fine, Fine, I'll ready my men at once." With that he left and within the hour the Hojo army broke off from the main force and headed to Sunomata.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	4. Chapter 3

**Samurai Warriors: Shogunate War**

Next chapter of my Samurai Warriors story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Wolfgirl2013: Thanks, not yet, won't be out in Japan till the 20th, doesn't look like it'll be out anywhere else anyway.  
facebook addicted: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, yeah, well, I try my hardest.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Samurai Warriors belongs to Koei.

* * *

**Chapter 3: The War Begins**

Hideyoshi waved at his three companions from the top of the hill he was standing on.

"Hurry Up! Kanbei's not going to like it if we are late!" As the three made their way to the top of the hill with no noticeable change in pace, Hideyoshi turned around and gazed out at the site before him.

Sunomata Castle, already an impressive fortification, was surrounded by soldiers and their camps. It was obvious Kanbei was taking no chances, cavalry were patrolling the perimeter and soldiers were busy building wooden defences.

He still couldn't believe how much he had missed; following a disastrous mission to Etchu Province he had been imprisoned. He pleaded his case to his captor and asked for someone to fight for his release. Naturally the lord thought no one would be willing to fight for the former Oda General, and humouring him, decided to grant his request. That's when Magoichi Saika came into play. By a stroke of pure luck, the mercenary had happened to be passing through the castle at that time and heard of Hideyoshi's predicament. He then decided to champion the monkey's cause. The lord of Etchu, being a man of honour, could not renege on the agreement and permitted a duel between Magoichi and a local samurai. Magoichi won effortlessly and Hideyoshi was released.

Their partnership would have ended there; had not Hideyoshi offered Magoichi the promise of more gold and glory. After sending a letter to Nene, in hopes she could reason with Kanbei, the two set off towards Sunomata. Along the way they had met two very eager samurai; Kiyomasa Kato and Masanori Fukushima, who, after hearing of Hideyoshi's exploits under Nobunaga, had wanted to join him. Knowing he would need all the help he could get, he happily accepted them into his party and after a few days of travel the four had made it to Sunomata. Now standing before the fortress, he knew what he had to do, even though it pained him. He would sever all physical ties with the Oda, serve the Shogunate for now, and carry on his lord's ambition secretly. He would bring peace and unite the land when the time was right, and make Lord Nobunaga proud.

'Just watch Lord Nobunaga,' he thought "This Monkey will make you proud!" he then exclaimed.

"Who are you talking to Hideyoshi?" He then turned around in shock as Magoichi walked up to him. Embarrassed, he just scratched the back of his head.

"It doesn't matter right now. C'mon, let's go see Kanbei." at that name he felt a bit of pain. It was as if all of his friends, save the three next to him, had either defected or died. Toshiie had betrayed Nobunaga to the Shogunate, Kanbei was leading their army and Hanbei was probably dead. He sighed, but it also gave him determination. He wanted to build a land where friends would no longer have to fight and plot against each other simply because of one person's ambition.

Magoichi walked to the edge of the hill they were standing on and looked down at the massive camp.

"So, these are your Shogunate friends?" He asked casually.

Hideyoshi nodded slowly. "They will be, but they don't know that yet. We'll have to be careful if we don't want to end up like the rest of the Oda."

"This oughta be fun." Magoichi quipped in response.

"Yaahh! Just tell me if you need any skulls crushed!" Masanori exclaimed with excitement.

"Pipe down you fool, let's leave killing potential allies as a last resort." Kiyomasa chided. Masanori sent him a glare, but remained quiet none the less.

Hideyoshi sighed at his protégés antics as they slowly made their way towards the camp. As they walked Hideyoshi let his thoughts wander to his wife. 'I just hope that carrier pigeon reached Nene in time, if it has this will go a lot smoother.'

They navigated through the crowd of soldiers, miraculously not being seen and managed to make their way up to a gate. The man guarding it was muscular, but had a jovial air to him and was even holding a cup of sake. Hideyoshi found it strange that Kanbei would employ a soldier like this; the man was either a fool to drink on the job or important enough to get away with it. He noticed the four of them approaching and approached them, after taking a sip from his drink.

"So, you must be Hideyoshi Hashiba, you certainly the match the description." The man remarked.

Hideyoshi raised an eyebrow. "And what would that description be?" He asked the man.

"I was told to wait for a monkey." That got a chuckle out of Magoichi. Hideyoshi just ignored the bad joke.

"And who are you?"

The man shrugged and replied nonchalantly. "Sakon Shima, at your service. Now, I think Kanbei's waiting for you." Sakon then opened the gate to the castle and motioned for them to follow.

The five walked into the castle only to find a brown-haired woman clad in yellow nervously pacing back and forth. When she heard the groups footsteps she immediately looked up with hope. When she saw Hideyoshi she lunged herself at him.

"Darling!" She cried as she threw her arms around Hideyoshi.

Hideyoshi stumbled slightly and smiled. "It's good to see you too Nene."

Nene smiled as she stepped back and Hideyoshi smiled back, only for Magoichi to walk up, grab Nene's hand, and kiss it.

"Hello there ma'am, I'm Magoichi Sakai. And you are?" while Nene blushed and was obviously flustered, Hideyoshi hit Magoichi outside the head hard enough to knock him down.

"I pay you to fight, not to flirt with my wife!" Hideyoshi yelled as he reached down to help the cad back up.

Watching this, Nene was almost overjoyed by the fact that Hideyoshi was jealous over her. Hideyoshi quickly regained his composure as Kiyomasa, Masanori and Sakon looked on with amusement. He then turned back to his wife.

"You got my letter then."

She nodded. "Yes; we're all ready. Kanbei's been waiting for you. Are you sure this is the right way?"

Hideyoshi just sighed.

"It's only way Nene, we'll talk more later, right now, I need to see Kanbei."

She nodded and joined him and his group as they followed Sakon deeper into the castle.

Eventually Sakon stopped in front of a large sliding panel and pulled it back, revealing the main hall. As the five entered everyone in the room stopped talking, all their attention turned to Hideyoshi. However only one person truly caught his attention in return: Kanbei Kuroda; his former strategist, friend, and the new High Commander of the Shogunate's Army. The pale and almost demonic looking man observed Hideyoshi with his usual emotionless, dark stare. Sitting to Kanbei's right was another man, just as pale, but not as evil looking. It was Seishiro Kuroda, Kanbei's younger brother and right hand man. It was he who spoke to Hideyoshi.

"Ah, master Hideyoshi, I'm glad you finally made it." Hideyoshi nodded; his gaze not leaving Kanbei as he spoke.

"Not without some difficulty, but I owe my survival and my presence here to my companions."

"Yes, your wife told us about your letter... So you've made the wise choice of choosing the winning side." Kanbei remarked dryly. "So these... people... must be your 'companions'; who might they be?"

Hideyoshi smiled and introduced them in turn.

"These two are Kiyomasa Kato and Masanori Fukushima; two fine warriors who have decided to follow me." They both bowed to Kanbei and Kiyomasa spoke with a pleasant smile. "It is an honour my Lord."

Kanbei merely nodded, though he seemed to be satisfied by Kiyomasa's introduction, and his gaze turned to Magoichi as Hideyoshi spoke again.

"This is Magoichi Saika; a mercenary and friend who I owe my freedom to."

Kanbei again merely nodded and then indicated for Hideyoshi to take a seat; far from a place of honour Hideyoshi noted, but did not comment on.

Kanbei then turned to the remaining four members of Hideyoshi's group and dismissed them as well. Once he situated himself and they left, Kanbei cleared his throat and motioned to the map in the middle of the room. The map itself was of Mino, and several wooden plates and flags were set on the map, colour coded to denote the Shogunate forces and the enemy forces. As Hideyoshi examined the map, noting that Gifu was the last stronghold painted black, with all the remaining castles being painted green, he also noted a large amount of yellow pieces on the eastern edge of the map with a smaller amount of blue pieces at the southern part of the map. Kanbei then began to explain.

"We are presently ensuring that any remaining Oda loyalists are being rooted out and destroyed. We cannot allow their embers to smoulder into an inferno. In the meantime, the forces that are sieging Gifu are close to seizing the castle, and wiping out the last of the resistance with it."

Hideyoshi nodded solemnly, it only seemed like yesterday when he was the one who conquered it for his lord.

"I take it Lord Nobutada refused any offer of surrender." He asked.

Kanbei gave a shadow of a smirk; the closest he ever got to smiling. "He hasn't had a chance. He is rotting in the Kyoto dungeons. The only member of the Oda family there is Nobukatsu, his son."

"A mere child." Hideyoshi mused. "He wouldn't be leading this army."

Kanbei nodded. "Correct, this defiance is being led by a group of surviving Oda officers who call themselves the "Oda Triumvirate;" Nagahide Niwa, Ittetsu Inaba and Kazumasu Takigawa. While it is clear the "Potato Samurai" Nagahide Niwa, is the leader of the group, the other two are essential to the survival of the Oda forces..."

He shook his head, before finally adding.

"However they will soon be broken... Provided Nagamasa does not make a fool of himself." Hideyoshi cringed at that; Nagamasa Kuroda was Kanbei's son. It was common knowledge that Kanbei was not on good terms with the boy; he blamed him for his mother's death. She was probably the only person who had brought Kanbei some form of joy. Still, he held some affection for his son, evident in the fact that he would trust him enough to lead a siege.

Hideyoshi returned his attention to the third army at the borders. He narrowed his eyes, curious.

"While I imagine the blue army are the Tokugawa who are the Yellow? The Uesugi? Hojo? Date?" He asked.

Kanbei glanced at the map and shook his head. "All three... Masamune Date and his Northern Alliance; he shouldn't be here yet. He has managed to get the loyalty of Ujiyasu and Kenshin; but if he wants to get here on time... He'll need to deal with Shingen. And that will work for us; after all, Shingen always has his own interests at heart."

Hideyoshi nodded as Seishiro then commented. "He would need to fight Shingen, or agree to some form of alliance, one that benefits Shingen. If he does arrive, we'll be ready for him."

Then, as if on cue, a solider ran into the room from the still open door.

"Sirs! The Hojo army is on their way here! They'll arrive within the hour!" the soldier desperately shouted.

Kanbei just frowned.

"So they attack us here at Sunomata? Yet they would need Gifu for a base and to claim more allies." He paused and then added. "They are desperate; they know attempting to alleviate the siege of Gifu would prompt us to attack them, so they struck first. But all they have accomplished is making themselves easier to be extinguished."

He then stood up and began giving orders; getting ready for the upcoming battle.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	5. Chapter 4

**Samurai Warriors: Rise of the Dragon**

Next chapter of my Samurai Warriors story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)  
Diao Lover: Thanks, glad you enjoyed both chapters; well, all I can say is wait and see :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Samurai Warriors belongs to Koei.

* * *

**Chapter 4: A Smokescreen Battle**

Hideyoshi sighed; he had hoped that when he arrived at Sunomata he would have a few minutes to catch his breath. But no, he had just arrived only to be forced upon a rapidly changing political scene and then attacked moments later. He then sharply inhaled as the armour his squire, Mitsunari Ishida, was putting on him was suddenly tightened. Despite his somewhat lacklustre performance when it came to putting on his armour, Hideyoshi was still glad that Mitsunari, personality and all, was here.

"I still say it's foolish, my lord." Mitsunari stated, with a certain air of haughtiness.

Hideyoshi knew what Mitsunari was referring to, but feigned ignorance. "What is?"

Mitsunari sighed and gestured to Hideyoshi himself; clad in his golden armour. "Wearing armour this bright; you might as well be screaming for the enemy to pay attention to you." Hideyoshi shook his head.

"As always Mitsunari, you worry too much about the trivial details. Yes, the armour is flashy, and yes, it draws attention. But it's protective and designed to stand up to a lot of damage." Hideyoshi then smiled. "So I say, why not let it be flashy."

Mitsunari rolled his eyes but didn't say anything else. It was then that Nene entered the tent. Nene had Kiyomasa and Masanori stand in between her and Magoichi, no doubt to try to keep him from flirting with her.

He could see from their serious expressions and the way they were gripping their weapons that they were ready for battle. He knew of only one reason why they would all be here when the battle was about to start; they were to serve directly as his officers.

_'How kind of you Kanbei, not only are you letting me have my wife and squire at my side, but my new friends too.'_ Hideyoshi thought sarcastically._ 'What are you planning?'_

Kanbei was never kind to anyone, except his dearly departed wife. If he acted kind it usually meant there was a catch or a drawback. He took his staff from Mitsunari and turned to address them all.

"Okay, are we ready?" They all nodded. "Right, let's go see Kanbei; he'll be giving us our mission for this battle."

With that they all left the tent and headed to Kanbei's. There Kanbei was giving final instructions to two of the officers who bowed and left. He then turned to Seishiro.

"Which one of us should lead the vanguard this time, brother?" Kanbei asked casually.

Seishiro straightened up and Hideyoshi realized this was all rehearsed, they already knew who was leading the vanguard, the two of them always took turns about leading it.

"I believe I shall lead it this time." He stated. "That leaves the main body under your command."

It was then Kanbei turned and saw Hideyoshi and his group; he merely nodded, his expression not changing the slightest.

Finally he spoke to them.

"Good, you are ready..." He paused and then added. "At last."

Hideyoshi did not rise to that, instead he merely smiled. "What'll we do in the battle?"

"You will be on the left flank, next to the river." Hideyoshi raised an eyebrow.

"You trust me to lead the unit in the most precarious position?" He asked.

Kanbei gave that shadow of a smirk again. "Lead, no. You will be there, serving under Keiji Maeda."

That caught Hideyoshi off guard; he wasn't going to be a commander in this battle, but another officer and serving Keiji of all people. He just prayed the wild man's thirst for battle didn't get out of hand at a crucial moment. He also knew what this meant. This was Kanbei's way of telling him; 'your importance is negligible and your loyalty is questionable, so you will have to work your way back up.'

Kanbei continued to speak. "Masamune Date is reckless, but not a fool; he'll likely attack us here and leave the other half of his army to attack the siege at Gifu. The Hojo army is just the vanguard; we must push them back and lure Masamune out of whatever ambush he is plotting."

It was clear however he was talking to his brother and Hideyoshi and his group were no longer required to be present. So Hideyoshi gestured for them to follow and they left, heading towards the left flank of the army.

As they walked Mitsunari broke the silence.

"Does he think he can just get away with this?" He remarked angrily. "Making us serve under that brute, we should-"

Kiyomasa cut across him. "Care to speak a bit louder, I don't think the people on the other side of the camp heard you."

Mitsunari glared at him. "Who asked you?"

"Now boys, that's enough." Nene chided. "We're here to fight these invaders, not squabble amongst ourselves."

Masanori laughed. "Ha, just point me at 'em and I'll smash their skulls."

Hideyoshi rolled his eyes. 'He and Keiji should get along famously.'

They arrived at the left flank and found Keiji, mounted upon his famous horse, Matsukaze, and brandishing his double ended spear as he bellowed orders to his men. Magoichi gazed at Keiji with a devilish grin.

"Nice, always follow a big man into battle." He commented.

Hideyoshi raised an eyebrow at him, the others also looked confused. Sakon, who had been silent so far then asked. "Why is that?"

Magoichi shrugged. "Your safety is guaranteed; they're large targets and the enemy will go for them first." Most of the group got a laugh out of the joke, and the sudden outburst drew Keiji's attention.

"About time ya guys showed up." He called out. "Ya ready to make some noise!?"

Hideyoshi nodded impatiently. "Yes, yes Keiji, just tell us where you need us."

"I need ya on the flank of the river; your men are already gathered there. Try not to get yourself killed either, won't look all too good if I lose half my officers in their first battle." he said half-jokingly. Hideyoshi nodded and waved for his group to follow. They quickly ran over to the battalions that had assembled. Some of the soldiers greeted them or nodded; at least they were a jolly bunch. As his group took to the front line of the battalion Hideyoshi turned to address his troops.

"Don't let the enemy have any quarter! If the get past us, this flank will fall and the battle will be lost. So remember this; battle is riding on us! Now, let's prove our strength to the world!" The troops let out a war cry that eclipsed the sound of the horn, and the battle had begun.

His battalion then charged out, with him in the lead. They crossed the river, the sounds of their feet splashing in water was deafening. The only banners visible on the enemy's side were those of the Hojo, three white triangles on a blue field. Nowhere could he see the green banners bearing the Date Mon; if Masamune was here, he was hiding his army very well. Hideyoshi had an uneasy feeling that this wasn't the case however.

Shaking himself he focused on the fight. The two armies clashed instantly; out the corner of his eye Hideyoshi saw Nene vanish, racing through the enemy ranks, cutting down samurai in the blink of an eye. Mitsunari even proved his worth, fighting the enemies with his iron fan. As Hideyoshi took down two Hojo samurai he witnessed Magoichi cut his way through several troops with his bayonet. He then fired a shot at a Hojo officer which it struck home and the officer fell off his horse. Suddenly an arrow flew out of the throng and struck Hideyoshi's horse, its legs buckled and he was knocked off it. He rolled along the ground and came to a stop on his feet. He was just in time to deflect attacks from several Hojo troops when Kiyomasa and Masanori proved their worth, cutting a swath through the troops surrounding him and giving him an escape route to regroup.

"Good work you stay focused, there's more to come." He warned.

Masanori was clearly enjoying himself as he swung around that giant dumbbell. "Yaaah let me at 'em!"

At the same time Keiji galloped through the enemy like an unstoppable hurricane while Sakon began taking down multiple enemies at once with his oversized cutting knife. In the distance he could make out Kanbei, armed with his possessed orb and the demon within it, destroying several Hojo troops effortlessly.

When Hideyoshi turned his attention back to his immediate surroundings he saw a female Hojo officer approaching him.

"Well, well..." He remarked. "If it isn't Lady Kai."

She glared at him. "Monkey. So you're my opponent. So be it. Prepare to die!"

With that she lashed out with her sword, the blade extending to cover the gap. Hideyoshi quickly blocked the attack and then motioned for Masanori and Kiyomasa to step back.

"She's challenged me to a duel." he said to his two protégés. "Very Well, I accept." However before either Hideyoshi or Kai could attack, Magoichi casually waltzed up to the two.

"Don't worry Hideyoshi, I'll take this one." he then continued onto Kai, his musket facing downwards, showing no signs of attacking. Kai seemed wary but even more confused by the cad's actions. He then took Kai's hand and kissed it, making her blush and take a step backwards.

"Why hello there, I'm Magoichi Saika. And what would a pretty lady like you be doing on the battlefield?" Magoichi then flashed his signature smile, only for Hideyoshi to walk up behind him and hit him over the head with his staff. Magoichi fell down, unconscious, and Hideyoshi turned to Kai.

"I'm sorry about that. Now I believe we were about to duel." Hideyoshi then kicked Magoichi's limp body out of the way and somehow pulled off a backflip, landing where he first was.

He then stepped forwards to fight her. They circled each other briefly before Hideyoshi lashed out with his weapon; Kai ducked under it and used the extendable blade of her sword to wrap around Hideyoshi's legs and trip him up. He fell, and she retracted the blade. She then charged over to deliver a deadly strike but Hideyoshi blocked and then kicked her back before flipping up onto his feet. He leapt at her, spinning with his weapon held out as he did so. She was too slow to react and was hit several times, falling to the ground. Hideyoshi quickly seized the advantage and, as she tried to get to her feet, used his weapon to pin her down. Suddenly a cold, deep voice rang out.

"Let her go monkey, unless you'd rather be a widower."

Hideyoshi looked up and froze; standing a few feet away was Kotaro Fuma. He had captured and disarmed Nene, holding her head so that, with one move, he would snap her neck. Hideyoshi quickly pondered his options and then gestured with his head down at Kai, then at Nene.

"Trade ya."

Kotaro grinned in a sadistic manner. "Deal."

With that he pushed Nene towards Hideyoshi, who promptly let Kai go.

Before Kotaro or Kai could attack there was the sound of a horn.

"That's our cue Kotaro." Kai stated. "Let's go."

Kotaro snorted. "Fine, I'll have more fun later; this was too quick for me."

With that Kotaro grabbed Kai and teleported them both away. Hideyoshi looked around, the Hojo were fleeing. He could see Ujiyasu leading the retreat, looking dignified as ever, indeed the retreat was organized and orders came from Kanbei not to pursue. Clearly he suspected a trap or ambush. Hideyoshi glared at the retreating army as he held Nene.

'That was too easy and quick for my liking, something's wrong here.'

Just then Keiji rode up. "Hey Hideyoshi, get moving, Kanbei wants to talk to us." Hideyoshi sighed and turned his attention to Nene.

"Will you be okay?" He asked.

She nodded. "I'm fine darling." She then made one of her motherly faces. "Kotaro should really get more sun; it's not nice seeing someone so pale that up close."

Hideyoshi smiled and, reassured of her safety as Kiyomasa and Masanori stayed with her, he headed to the tent with Mitsunari and Sakon. He sighed; just hoping his fears were wrong as he approached the hastily erected commander's tent.

When they entered they found Kanbei, his armour stained with blood, leaning over a map. His brother stood next to him, all the other officers had gathered in the tent; Kanbei merely glanced up as they entered and waved them to nearby chairs. They all sat and waited, finally Kanbei sighed.

"Something's wrong; there has been no sign of the Date. The scouts we sent into the woods have reported no sign of their banners anywhere."

Hideyoshi sighed. "I had that feeling too; I don't think they were here."

Kanbei let out a slow sigh. "This doesn't make sense, the Hojo wouldn't be so foolhardy to attack us on their own... unless..."

Before Kanbei could finish everyone's worst fears were confirmed, with their army tired and unable to advance again, they would be powerless to stop what was coming next. A soldier burst in and cried out.

"Sir! The Hojo have gone to regroup with the rest of the Northern Alliance. They were marching towards the siege at Gifu when Lord Nagamasa Kuroda tried to attack them but was defeated. His entire army was destroyed!"

Kanbei stood up, a small amount of interest lacing his voice. "What of Nagamasa?"

"Lord Nagamasa has been captured by the enemy." Everyone in the tent then knew what it meant: The siege was no leaderless, surrounded and without reinforcements. They had been played.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	6. Chapter 5

**Samurai Warriors: Rise of the Dragon**

Next chapter of my Samurai Warriors story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Wolfgirl2013: Thanks.  
facebook addicted: Thanks, glad you enjoyed both chapters, well, hope you continue to enjoy :)  
Diao Lover: Thanks, well, here's the answer.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Samurai Warriors belongs to Koei.

* * *

**Chapter 5: Assault on Gifu**

Masamune Date, situated on his mount, overlooked the carnage before him. Broken bodies and weapons littered the field, many of them mangled in ways he would not think possible. The bloody prints of horseshoes were seared into the ground, while the screams of the damned could still be heard echoing their horrid cries. Truly war was hell. And while it had been a great victory, his men were happily celebrating; it was less of a battle and more of a massacre. Nagamasa Kuroda had the grand idea of trying to ambush an army whose generals had seen more combat alone than all of his soldiers combined, and they ended up being the ones who were ambushed. After picking off some Kuroda's men with his Riflemen, and forcing him out into the open, Shingen led his cavalry in a charge that shattered their formation, leaving them defenceless against Kenshin and his Warrior Monks. Despite all the death, there were many captives, including members of the Kuroda Family. He silently thanked all the Gods he knew that it was an extensive family. He then became aware of someone else coming, and turned to see Toyohisa riding up.

"Masamune, we've achieved a great victory today!" He cried out, greeting his friend jovially. Masamune returned the smirk, nodding. "Those imbeciles didn't stand a chance against the dragon."

Toyohisa nodded. "Without a doubt. We may have lost a few men, but we able to kill twenty times as many."

"Foolish boys." Aya cut in, stopping their celebration.

Masamune glared at her. "Excuse me?"

"We've only won one easy battle." Aya stated. "Have we captured or killed Kanbei Kuroda?"

He looked at her, wondering why she was asking such an idiotic question; but both he and Toyohisa shook their heads.

"Then the war is far from over, don't celebrate until it is." She replied.

Masamune rolled his eyes and instead focused on Shingen who was returning with another prisoner, and by the look of his expensive armour, an important one.

Shingen smiled triumphantly as one of his men pushed the hostage into a kneeling position. Masamune looked him over; his armour was dented and blood-stained; his helmet gone and the white cloth he used to bind back his hair was stained with blood and dirt. He had received some minor injuries during the battle, but the biggest blow had clearly come to his pride. Being forced to kneel before someone younger than you while in chains was never good for self-esteem.

"Son..." Shingen announced with a smirk, only to which Masamune rolled his eyes at the not so subtle reminder of their agreement. "Allow me to present your newest prisoner: Nagamasa Kuroda."

Nagamasa glared up at Masamune and scoffed. "Enjoy your hollow victory, you reckless fool! Soon my father will be here and you will-"

"I don't think so." Masamune cut him off. "Your father can't help you; he's a bit busy right now. In fact here comes the man I sent to keep your father occupied."

Nagamasa looked up in shock as the Hojo army returned, with Ujiyasu riding up to meet Masamune.

"Ujiyasu, why don't you tell me how your battle went?" He asked, never taking his eye off of Kuroda. Ujiyasu simply flung his pipe over his shoulder before answering.

"Kuroda's army is in disarray; Kotaro managed to sabotage some of their artillery and ruin a good amount of their food. On our way back we burnt down a few of their supply depots and destroyed some of the road network, so they won't be going anywhere soon." The look on Nagamasa's face was that of hopelessness as the guards dragged him away. Masamune then drew his sabre and raised it high.

"Onward! To Gifu!" he shouted.

With that the Northern Alliance charged.

It did not take them long to reach their destination, but they purposefully stayed at the edge of the forest separating them from the Shogunate forces to keep the element of surprise. The Shogunate army that remained at the siege still had the castle surrounded on all sides; the Oda forces seemed to be holed up inside and no negotiations were being made. The Shogunate forces pounded the walls with trebuchets to no avail. As he surveyed the layout of the army and their camps below a plan began forming in Masamune's mind. He then turned to the other generals behind him.

"Okay, those imbeciles are spread out and too focused on the walls to even notice us so this will make crushing them easy. Ujiyasu, I need you and your men to encircle the enemy so they can't escape. I'll also need to borrow Fuma and his ninjas." Ujiyasu nodded and Masamune turned to Shingen. "I'll also need the Vixen and her Kunoichi." Shingen then looked over at Kunoichi and nodded, giving her his permission.

"Those riflemen in the watch towers will be our biggest problem, if the see us coming they'll warn the main body. That's where Fuma and the Vixen come in; they'll take out the soldiers in those towers while my riflemen will sneak in and replace them. Shingen, I'll need you to break the enemies already loose formation with a charge."

"And I take it that your Riflemen will give me cover fire and Kenshin's warrior monks will finish off what's left?" Masamune nodded he then turned to the two Ninjas. "Well, what are you waiting for? Get going!" Kotaro smirked while Kunoichi just threw her head back indignantly, but both then jumped and seemingly vanished.

"Sure is boring without the Oda making any move." muttered one of the riflemen stationed in the towers, his rifle lying in a corner while he absentmindedly gazed out one of the windows.

"I've heard rumours that there's an army moving towards us, but that's all I've heard." said another soldier, his rifle lazily slung over his shoulder.

"The officers never tell us anything." the rifleman replied, blissfully unaware of the figure that had just materialized behind them.

"And now they won't have to." Kotaro said. Before the surprised soldiers could turn around, the Ninja bashed both of their skulls together. The other two soldiers on the opposite side of the tower turned around and aimed, only for Kunoichi to drop down and cut off the barrels of their rifles.

"Sorry boys." she said before cutting both of them across the chest with her twin blades. "That's the last of them." Kotaro seemed a bit disappointed at that, but before either could say anything, Masamune walked up through the hatch in the floor with four riflemen.

"Well, I must say I'm impressed, you two certainly did make quick work of them." He said while looking at the bodies. "Now, into positions! You two retreat to the camp and make sure no one sees us." The two ninja's vanished while the riflemen went to the stations of the deceased Shogunate soldiers and aimed their rifles at the camp below them. Masamune then drew one of his pistols and aimed it at the sky via the window, and shot. The sound rang out and followed by the Riflemen in the series of towers opening fire on the soldiers below.

The Shogunate camp was thrown into chaos as the troops were dropping like bricks. The gunfire and shouts drowned out the sound of horseshoes and Shingen's rapidly approaching cavalry, which easily ran down any who stood in their path. The charge completely shattered the Shogunate forces, who were already in chaos, and ill prepared to offer any resistance to Kenshin's warrior monks. The only unit to actually pose a threat were the Shogunate's archers, which were far away enough from the melee to be in a relatively safe position. But they too, were quickly destroyed when Yukimura led a second cavalry charge straight into the arrow fire and utterly crushed them, trampling most of them to death.

When what was left of the Shogunate's army finally realized what was happening, they bolted for the woods, only to be either killed in the process or stopped by Ujiyasu. Knowing they had no chance, they surrendered, throwing down their weapons and getting on their knees. Ujiyasu gave them the ultimatum of joining them or going back to their homes, with most of them naturally choosing the latter. When all was said and done the Northern Alliance moved to start setting up camp away from Gifu, so as to not make the Oda think they were going to siege them as well, and the four leaders rode up to the gates of the bastion. Masamune then started shouting to the soldiers on top of the gates.

"I am Masamune Date, Commander of the Northern Alliance. Since we destroyed the forces besieging your castle we ask for an audience."

There was silence for a moment but then the doors opened. Three samurai stepped out; the one at the head of the group removed his helmet and bowed.

"We owe you a great debt for defeated those Shogunate dogs. My name is Nagahide Niwa. I am part of the Oda Triumvirate; three loyal Oda vassals who are handling affairs here in Gifu for now." Masamune frowned at that. "Hold on, your three are in charge? I thought the current Oda lord would-"

Nagahide simply shook his head.

"No, everything is decided by Kazumasu, Ittetsu and myself. Our Lord Nobutada is a prisoner in Kyoto and Lord Nobukatsu is only a child. He cannot help you, but the three of us can. Please, come inside and we can discuss this over tea and potato soup."

Despite the situation being precarious at best, Masamune was intent on getting them to join his Alliance, and dismounted along with the Kanto Trio. The seven then walked inside the castle to begin their negotiations.

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End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	7. Chapter 6

**Samurai Warriors: Rise of the Dragon**

Next chapter of my Samurai Warriors story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Samurai Warriors belongs to Koei.

* * *

**Chapter 6: Secret Plans and New Allies**

Ranmaru looked around at his surroundings vigilantly. Despite Hanbei's protest that they were not being followed because his escape plan was "genius", Ranmaru refused to let his guard down. He had already failed his lord by letting the Shogunate apprehend him, and he was not going to fail again. Certainly not when entrusted to protect Mitsuhide's daughter.

He had been kind enough to entrust her care to him, though something told him it was less out of necessity and more out of pity. And simply based on Gracia's curiosity, he had a feeling he would have to be extra careful to keep her safe. He had to occasionally redirect her as they walked in order to avoid her getting lost in her amazement of the "outside" world.

He could only hope her curiosity would not draw to much attention; the Shogunate still had forces out hunting down Oda loyalists, as well as a large bounty for anyone who brought them escaped Oda officers. Fortunately, from what he had collected in passing, Nobunaga was popular with the peasants and merchants due to his light taxes and breakdown of the caste system so it did not look like any of the people that they passed by would do anything. But he was not going to take any chances, not after last time.

After an undetermined amount of time had passed, along with a lot of tedious walking, a large, towering castle came into view, as well as the walls protecting the city. Mitsuhide immediately stopped walking causing the other five to stop as well.

"It will be too risky to try getting through the gates; we will have to go another way to get into the castle." He remarked softly.

"And which way will that be, Papa?" Gracia, summarizing the group's thoughts.

"I've sent a message to an old friend in the city. If it got to him, we should be able to get through without trouble." Mitsuhide then bee-lined left and motioned for them to follow him. The five then quickly ran after him, eventually ending up in one of the woods that surrounded Osaka. While they were navigating the woods, Ranmaru's thoughts started to drift to what he knew about Osaka and Settsu in general. It was a trade city, like Sakai to the south, and was currently ruled by Murashige Araki. He had not been in the capital when the Shogunate attacked, and combined with the fact that he ruled over the neighbouring provinces of Kawachi and Izumi made him both untouchable, and one of the biggest threats to the Shogunate. It was probably why Mitsuhide did not want to take the front gate into the city.

"Nearly there." Mitsuhide's voice broke into his thoughts.

Ranmaru looked up and was surprised when he saw they were at the mouth of a cave, at the base of one of the mountains that was situated near the city.

"Lord Mitsuhide, are you sure this is safe?" He asked, a hand gripping his weapon.

Mitsuhide had lit a torch and drew his Katana. "It's the only way to get into the city. Besides; the worst that's inside are a few animals."

"Careful, they may eat you." No whispered to Gracia, causing her to shiver in fear. Mitsuhide sent a look to the woman that said "You'll be the first one in" but she didn't seem to mind.

"Don't worry Gracia; they'll probably go for Katsuie first. He is the fattest of all of us after all." Hanbei joked, causing her to giggle a bit.

"Why You..." Katsuie growled, moving one of his axes in a threatening gesture at Hanbei.

"Let's try not to kill each other before we even get into the city." Mitsuhide said, stepping in between them. Katsuie just sighed and lowered his weapon while Hanbei took a few steps back for good measure. Mitsuhide turned and walked into the cave, with No following him and Hanbei close behind. Katsuie slowly trekked into it, leaving Ranmaru to try to get Gracia to go in.

"Nothing will eat you Gracia, I promise." Gracia shook her head and refused to budge. Ranmaru sighed tried a different approach.

"I don't know much about Lord Mitsuhide's plan, but he needs you for it. You don't want to let him down do you?" Gracia then shook her head and started to walk off in the direction of the cave, with Ranmaru stepping in front of her to calm her.

They found that the other four were waiting for them, but none of them said anything and just continued to walk deeper into the cave. Finally Katsuie turned towards Hanbei, and asked something before he could pick up his pace.

"Why have we come to this God forsaken place?"

Hanbei shrugged, calming down now that he knew Katsuie would not try to tear him to shreds. "All part of Mitsuhide's plan apparently."

Ranmaru saw the confused look on Gracia's face and realized that, she was just as much in the dark about Mitsuhide's plan as he was. It seemed however the others did know a bit, but apparently not much of the details as Nō decided to ask.

"Ah yes... this plan of yours... feel like sharing it with us any time soon?"

Mitsuhide merely shook his head. "Not yet, but things have already come to a conclusion."

"Papa?" Gracia looked more confused than ever.

Mitsuhide sighed and then explained.

"We all have seen what's happened. No, we've experienced it first-hand. The Shogunate is corrupt, the local warlords care more about their petty squabbles than the people they govern over and the people and land are suffering as a result. That's why I choose to follow Lord Nobunaga; because he could have put an end to this constant warfare." He paused and then added. "But now he's dead and things are spiralling out of control. I want to end this war as soon as possible." He then turned, leaving the others to think over his windy avoidance, and went up to a section of the cave wall.

He then started feeling around, and when finding what he was looking for, pushed with all his might. Hanbei was about to say something, when to the surprise of everyone, the cave wall started to move and was pushed open, with daylight flooding the tunnel. Mitsuhide then stepped up what looked like a set of stairs, with the other five following behind closely. When they reached the top the five realized they were in some sort of abandoned shop. Walking to the front, Ranmaru took note of a discarded wooden board, which was probably a door blocker that Mitsuhide's friend had to remove so they could use the cave entrance. After leaving the dilapidated shop, they ended up in Osaka and were shocked to see its condition. Suffering and devastation were the norm; beggars lined the streets, hollow-eyed half-starved children were half-heartedly playing in squalor, most of the merchant's stands had obviously been plundered and what remaining products were left were at prices low enough that rocks were probably more expensive. The soldiers that were patrolling the streets were disheartened and wearing armour that was falling apart. The situation was bad enough that the monks and foreign missionaries, who would usually be at each other's throats, were now working together to alleviate the situation as much as possible. In short the city had gone through hell.

They steadily approached the castle, the only thing besides the walls that did not look like it would collapse at any given moment, and when they arrived at the gates the beleaguered guards gave them a salute. Mitsuhide then reached into his sleeve and pulled out a small coin pouch, and handed a few coins from it to the guards, immediately making them thank him. After getting into the main hall, they found Murashige serving tea to many of his servants. When he looked up and saw Mitsuhide, a look of relief washed over the man's tired countenance.

"Ah, Mitsuhide. Please give me a moment." when he finished pouring tea into the last servant's cup, they all stood up and proceeded to exit, each bowing before Mitsuhide before they left.

"Gracia, you look tired. Why don't you go get some rest?" Mitsuhide stated, Gracia nodded, and started walking off to a nearby room, with Ranmaru following close behind.

"I could go for a nap too." Hanbei said with a yawn, before walking off himself.

"Wouldn't you like to take a break Lord Shibata?" Murashige asked.

"No thank you Lord Araki. I've been through worse." No merely sighed and started pulling him by the ear.

"You can be so dense sometimes." she said while pulling a struggling Katsuie down a nearby corridor. When they were gone Mitsuhide closed the doors and sat down in front of Murashige.

There was awkward silence for a moment.

"Now that we are alone, we can discuss our plans." Murashige muttered.

Mitsuhide gave a tense smile. "True, but I do think a bit of catching up is in order, old friend."

Murashige sighed.

"I'm sure you've already seen it, but Osaka has been devastated by the sects. They barely tolerated me as a Christian as it was, but rose up when I started to allow the foreign missionaries to preach." he then sighed but continued. "They devastated the city before they were put down. My people have been suffering ever since. When I heard what happened in Kyoto, I invested everything I had left into the walls and castle to make it appear at least that Osaka is still the bastion it was. The only things that are keeping us afloat now are the incomes from Kawachi and Izumi."

"I'm sorry old friend, but if we can make our plan work this suffering, not just in Osaka, but all around Japan will begin to ebb away." Mitsuhide said gravely.

"I know, but it will be an uphill battle. Have you told our daughter yet?"

Again, awkward silence, more so than before.

Mitsuhide let out a slow breath and then spoke. "No. The last thing she needs to hear is that I'm planning on marrying her off to some complete stranger. She's so wilful, I'm afraid that if I tell her she'll run off."

The troubled look on Murashige's face deepened as Mitsuhide descended into his own dismay.

Murashige cleared his throat and began to speak.

"Her marriage to Tadaoki is crucial. Since she is the niece of the deceased Shogun, she has the strongest claim, and we need the Hosokawa's strength and influence over the Shogunate if we are to survive." Mitsuhide shook his head at his friend's obvious statement.

"I know, but I can't cement the alliance if she runs off to who knows where." Suddenly Murashige's face brightened, as if a light bulb had just went off over his head.

"Speaking of alliances, I have received good news from Ukon recently." Mitsuhide sat up straight at the name. He knew that Ukon "Dom Justo" Takayama was Murashige's right hand man, and had been dispatched to the Philippines discretely a few days before they had arrived. "The Spanish have agreed to send assistance."

"What's in it for them?" Mitsuhide asked.

"Trade rights and unrestricted access for their missionaries." Mitsuhide then sighed, at least they were not demanding too much.

"There is one catch however." Mitsuhide perked upright again. "They will not be providing full military support until we can prove that we are a worthy cause. Rather, they will be sending a small expeditionary force to evaluate us."

"It will have to do." Mitsuhide replied.

As he had finished, the two could hear what sounded like kicking coming from outside. The doors opened and a group of guards came in, dragging two men behind them.

"Forgive us for interrupting you, my lord. But we have found these two sneaking around the castle." Mitsuhide took a glance at one of the men and immediately brightened up.

"Wait, that one's a friend of ours, release him." The guards then untied the ropes that were binding his hands and he in turn bowed to Mitsuhide.

"My Lord, I... I heard you were here; I've come to serve you once more." Mitsuhide smiled.

"You aid is always welcome, Toshimitsu. I wouldn't dream of turning it down."

With that Toshimitsu Saito, Mitsuhide's most loyal officer, stood up and smiled, relieved to be reunited with his master. The other captive however raised his head and Mitsuhide froze.

"You! You're Takatora Todo." He remarked.

Murashige and Mitsuhide stared at the man; he was well known for being an excellent warrior, if fluid in his allegiances. Takatora nodded, a sly smile forming on his face.

"That's right Lord Mitsuhide. Lord Hosokawa felt you could use a little extra help. So he sent me to meet up with Toshimitsu. We were supposed to meet you before you came to the castle. No such luck."

Mitsuhide shared a glance with his comrades; but then, Takatora produced a document for him, from Fujitaka which confirmed his story. Mitsuhide sighed, the development was unexpected, but ultimately suited his plans. He would have to be quick with his next move though.

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End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	8. Chapter 7

**Samurai Warriors: Shogunate War**

Next chapter of my Samurai Warriors story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Wolfgirl2013: Thanks and yep.  
facebook addicted: Thanks, glad you liked both chapters, here's the next one :)  
Diao Lover: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it; well, all we can do is wait and see.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Samurai Warriors belongs to Koei.

* * *

**Chapter 7: The Road to Rule**

The sounds of rustling trees scratching the window failed to disturb Ieyasu in the slightest. He sat in a now vacant council room, the darkness in it abated only by the nearby candles. Various documents and papers surrounded him, most of them showing the latest geopolitical situations. Contemplating his actions in the war, he constantly moved around pieces on a nearby map, each symbolizing a force that belonged to one army or the other. He had yet to make his move; the outcome of his announcement had backfired: rather than siding with him many factions had taken up arms. Motonari Mori was claiming the Shogunate for himself now, the Daimyo of Shikoku and Kyushu had banded together, the clans of Kanto had rallied together under the Date Banner and the Shogunate had absorbed the former Oda territories,

It was utter chaos.

"I have the strongest claim..." he muttered aloud. "All of that painstaking research, all the losses, everything will not be for naught when I am Shogun."

He continued to pour over the maps and papers before him, from what his scouts and spies had reported to him the Shogunate and Northern Alliance were currently using the entirety of Mino as a battlefield and Motonari was slowly creeping eastwards towards the Capital. While the Island Clans showed no signs of action yet, he had heard reports that there had been some sort of activity near Settsu. Perhaps Murashige would try to seize the capital and rescue the Oda?

While Ieyasu tirelessly worked inside, Hanzo stood vigilant outside. His arms were crossed; eyes closed and was facing the hallway. To a fool it would look like he was sleeping upright. But then again he could kill that metaphorical fool the second he finished that thought. He listened intently, silence becoming unwavering. But then it was shattered by the light pitter-patter of footsteps coming from an adjacent hallway. Since they were to light to be a man's, and to loud to be a ninja's, he had a very good idea of who it was. Sure enough, the woman rounding the corner was Ieyasu's wife; Tsukiyama. She was a small woman, and was dressed in a modest night robe, but the fury in her eyes betrayed her short and unassuming stature. She walked up to the "shadow", coming to an abrupt halt in front of him.

"Let me in Hanzo."

"My master does not wish to be disturbed." Hanzo stated emotionlessly. She scowled at that his statement.

"I am his wife." she growled. "Now stand aside."

Hanzo only shook his head. "My master made his wishes clear; he is to be disturbed by no one." Her face then scrunched up, almost resembling Nene when she was chastising her "children".

"I will not be denied to see my own husband!" She shouted. "I demand to see my husband."

"If you continue to insist, I am afraid I will have to escort you back to your chambers, my lady." Just as she was about to reprimand him, Ieyasu's voice could be heard through the door.

"Let her in Hanzo, she'll wake the whole castle up if you don't."

Hanzo closed his eyes and stepped aside. "Yes, my lord." Tsukiyama scowled at Hanzo and then entered the room.

When she entered the room she quickly walked over to her husband. As she had feared, he looked as if he had forgone sleep and food for weeks. There were deep shadows and flabby pouches beneath his eyes, his cheeks were hollow and his beard was untidy. It was clear that over the past three days he had little food and had stayed in the room for almost the whole time with probably no sleep.

"My Lord, are you well?" She asked; gently yet firmly, bluntly stating that she saw his decrepit state.

Ieyasu however barely glanced up from the maps and documents before him. "I am fine, just very busy... If you came to ask me to stop you are wasting your time." She shook her head in disapproval.

"I came to remind you that you have a wife and a son, I would've thought-"

"I also have a war to win." He cut her off; fighting to control his temper.

"I have plans to make and strategies to form. In case you haven't realized, my army is the smallest of the various factions. I have to tread carefully and patiently plan. Even if that means restraining myself from food or sleep."

Tsukiyama's nostrils flared but she said nothing else; she knew from the expression on his face that there would be no reasoning with him. She sniffed lightly and turned away, walking towards the door. When she reached the sliding door, and glared back.

"Well, when you've finished planning, you should come to bed... My lord." She added the last part spitefully and left the room. Ieyasu only sighed and resumed his work.

However, despite his attempts to focus, he could feel his eyelids slowly closing, ever so slightly drawing him to blissful slumber. His exhaustion was undeniable. He analysed everything one last time and finally made up his mind. Now that he had a plan that he was satisfied with, he stacked all of the documents into a large pile and extinguished the candles as he left the council room.

"Thank you Hanzo, that will be all for tonight." He informed his loyal ninja as he opened the door.

Hanzo bowed. "As you will, my lord." Hanzo vanished, but he knew that the ninja was still following him. It seemed that, unlike him, he never tired. Though he knew better.

Ieyasu nodded and began walking in the direction of his bedchambers. Tsukiyama was already asleep on her sleeping mat on one side of the room. Ieyasu quietly got ready for bed and clambered into his own, on the opposite site of the room from Tsukiyama.

Nobuyasu's death had caused irreparable damage to Ieyasu's relationship with his wife; now they were cold, distant. All intimacy was gone and they didn't even share sleeping mats anymore. Yet none of this perturbed Ieyasu; he was past caring. Besides, he had to focus on the war. Thoughts of his plan filled his mind and continued to whirl until finally he drifted off into a fitful, but admittedly restful sleep.

The following morning Ieyasu had awoken early and, feeling refreshed, ate a good breakfast, admittedly his first food in days, and then called a war council. Once everyone was present Ieyasu decided to speak.

"As you all know, we face a crisis." He started.

"We have found ourselves faced with war; it seems, rather than responding as they should have to my right as Shogun, the other Daimyo have taken it upon themselves to fight for power." His retainers clamoured amongst themselves, each saying one indistinguishable thing or the other.

"However this cannot dissuade us; we must continue and fight until my claim is recognized and peace is brought to the land."

Mototada Torii, a Tokugawa veteran, spoke up. "My lord, this presents difficulty. We are still vastly outnumbered, even with the ronin. Perhaps we should ally with Motonari Mori?"

Ieyasu glared. "That elderly usurper? No! He will give up his claim and serve me, or he will have to be removed."

"But we cannot fight as we are, my lord." Tadakatsu interjected. "Perhaps make an accord with the Northern Alliance, at least then we'd have a large number of reserve troops."

Ieyasu shook his head. "Look at his advance, the ferocity and determination in the way he fights. Masamune intends to steal at least half of Honshu from me. No, they must be destroyed, subjugated and made to heel or they will continue to sow chaos." Tadakatsu unconsciously sauntered back in his chair at his lord's unusual brutality.

Ieyasu then cleared his throat and continued. "We shall make our first move; one that hopefully will avoid conflict." He then gestured to the map. "We shall go to negotiate the surrender of the Mori. I will speak to Motonari myself; he cannot ignore my claim, my right."

So, with that, plans were made and soon Ieyasu was preparing ships to transport his army to meet with the Mori and to take what he was certain was rightfully his.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	9. Chapter 8

**Samurai Warriors: Rise of the Dragon**

Next chapter of my Samurai Warriors story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Wolfgirl2013: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.  
Diao Lover: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, not really surprised by that, given everything you've already said about him.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Samurai Warriors belongs to Koei.

* * *

**Chapter 8: Risky Decisions in War**

Hideyoshi sat in silence, listening in a bored fashion as the various Shogunate retainers began chattering back and forth about the recent developments. The emotions were typical of that of an army that suffered a heavy defeat; disbelief, anger, humiliation and disappointment.

"How could this have happened?!" One retainer; a certain Hitoshi Yamana, exclaimed. "How could Lord Kuroda have allowed himself to be captured like this?"

Another retainer, a swordsman called Kazutoyo Yamauchi snorted. "He was foolish, reckless, and inexperienced, so he ran right into a trap."

Another retainer, one Hideyoshi recognized as former Oda retainer Narimasa Sassa, shook his head despondently. "We have lost any chances of taking Gifu. The Oda will throw in their lot with the Northern Alliance, and they will only continue to grow more powerful until they can overwhelm us."

"How could this happen?!" Hitoshi Yamana cried again.

Seishiro shook his head and cleared his throat.

"We can keep dwelling on the past like this..." He stated; and paused for effect. "Or we can make decisions for the future, which is it to be?"

Almost at once there was a flurry of activity as Kazutoyo and other retainers of the like mind began clamouring.

"We must strike back swiftly!" Kazutoyo cried. "We must have our revenge and rescue Lord Nagamasa."

"We would never succeed, not with the way things are now." Narimasa stated simply.

However, instead of defusing the situation, this set off even more arguments.

While the arguing carried on, Hideyoshi just took a sip of his sake, shaking his head at the massive argument that was occurring around him. Then he heard what Yamana was saying and decided enough was enough.

"Continuing to fight would only increase our casualties. We have no choice, we must sue for peace." Hideyoshi had enough, took the last sip of sake in the cup, then threw it to the ground, causing the resulting sound to echo throughout the room.

Everybody jumped and all eyes turned to Hideyoshi and the sake cup he had smashed on the floor. The only person who had not turned his attention to him was Kanbei, who was currently staring at the wall and trying to keep his temper under control. Hideyoshi cleared his throat and pointed to the sake cup.

"Lord Yamana, it would be easier drinking from that cup than getting peace. When Nobunaga died all hopes of any sort of peace were shattered."

Hitoshi however glared. "Joke all you want monkey, but-"

"THEY HAVE MY SON!"

Everybody jumped, shocked, as their gaze turned to Kanbei who had turned to face them, rage blazing in his eyes. It was a singular, terrifying and inexplicable moment; Kanbei openly portraying emotion. Even Seishiro, his own brother, was shocked by Kanbei's outburst. Kanbei quickly recovered from his outburst, his face became a mask of coldness again as he took his seat.

"Leave us." He said softly.

Everybody got up to leave but then Kanbei added. "Not you Hideyoshi, you stay."

Surprised Hideyoshi resumed his seat as the others left.

After they left Kanbei let out a rare sigh of sadness and shook his head.

"If it's not one thing, it's another." He remarked, more to himself than anyone. "It seems Seishiro and I are the only... competent members of the family."

He looked over at Hideyoshi and pulled out a letter from within his sleeve and he handed it to Hideyoshi who studied its contents intently.

"My sister has written and asked that I return and take the position of Kanrei – Deputy Shogun – as if this war effort is not important. She underestimates our enemies. Worse than that, as you can see, my nephew is committing foolish acts one after another and she indulges him! Doing nothing to stop or control him."

Hideyoshi could see that this was true, regarding what he was reading in the letter. It spoke of a hare-brained plan to remove the head of the Shogunate Guard; Munetoshi Yagyu, under the excuse of old age, and put Nagamasa Kuroda in his place and fill the free rank by promoting Tadaoki Hosokawa.

"This is madness; Hosokawa is a good warrior, but he cannot possibly be a suitable replacement for Lord Yagyu."

Kanbei nodded. "Exactly, it's clear something must be done; someone must go and take control. It's too late to do anything about this one, but we can stop such further incompetence."

Hideyoshi nodded; starting to see where this was going.

He then smiled sardonically. "So, I'm to continue our war effort against the Northern Alliance while you deal with the capital?"

Kanbei's response however shocked him. He simply looked up and uttered one word.

"No."

Hideyoshi was at a loss for words.

Kanbei allowed himself briefly to savour the triumph of shocking the usually unflappable Hideyoshi and then spoke again.

"I will not leave the field unless absolutely necessary." He explained. "No, you will be going to the capital."

Hideyoshi recovered himself, hearing this and cleared his throat. "And what, pray tell, what will I be doing there?"

Kanbei showed a ghost of a smile; the closest he got to showing joy.

"You will be doing what my sister asks, becoming Kanrei, and ensuring my nephew's rule is smooth."

Hideyoshi was startled. "So, you trust me with this do, despite your display of distrust for the battle?"

Kanbei shook his head. "You'll only be ruling until I return from the war front, then I will assume the duties placed on me. You leave tonight, I permit you to take your wife, your squire and those fools you call friends."

"Well, I must say, I'm amazed at the trust you show in me to carry this out..." He stated, adding a monkey-like grin. "…and flattered."

With that he began to leave; but Kanbei stopped him.

"In order to ensure that you will be obeyed, Sakon will be going with you. Likewise he will be reporting to me to ensure that you obey."

Hideyoshi frowned; so he was going to be spied on? So be it. He left the room with a curt bow.

He returned to his tent to find his friends gathered there. They all stood up as he entered while Nene ran over to him.

"Darling, what's going on?" She asked, noting his troubled expression.

He sighed and then explained. "We're going to Kyoto; I'll fill you in on the details on the way. We need to get ready at once. Also Sakon is coming with us, so let's go, don't want to keep him waiting."

If they were shocked at this sudden news, none of them showed it; they simply bowed and got to work; gathering everything they would need.

"Darling?" Nene asked softly. "Do you really think Sakon-?"

Hideyoshi sighed. "-Can be trusted? No... He's there to spy on us. But don't worry; we'll figure something out. Besides, one of the things I learned from Lord Nobunaga is that you can make your enemies your friends."

Nene nodded after packing hastily. Sakon walked into their tent in the middle of the process, a jovial grin plastered across his face. He decided to pitch in and help pack, something which Hideyoshi was grateful for and soon they were ready to depart to Kyoto.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	10. Chapter 9

**Samurai Warriors: Rise of the Dragon**

Next chapter of my Samurai Warriors story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Diao Lover: Well, only time will tell what happens :)  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Samurai Warriors belongs to Koei.

* * *

**Chapter 9: A Despot's Joy**

Oichi sat upright and motionless in her seat at the Shogun's Meeting Hall. Her presence had been requested by the young Shogun, who sat on his seat at the head of the room. He wore a bored yet smug look on his face as he listened to the latest petitioners. She could not understand why he wanted her to be here if all he was doing was listening to petitioners.

The petitioner was a farmer from one of the rural areas outside the city. He was formally complaining about the lack of food that had suddenly occurred; the farms were ill-equipped and unable to produce any food and it was also suspected that the land was tainted due to actions taken by the soldiers who had begun digging pits around the city, in some cases despoiling farmland. Oichi carefully looked up at Yoshitsune; he still looked disinterested if not downright annoyed by the farmer's words. Her gaze slid to the woman next to the young Shogun. Senhime, the "regent", if she truly exercised enough authority over her son to be called that, bore the unmistakable pale skin of the Kuroda family; although hers was not quite so demonic as her twin brother Kanbei. On her however it enhanced her almost inhuman beauty, along with the sleek long black hair and rather thin black brows. Her eyes however, were uninviting, cold and dark. Yet there were times when something shone through, something nobody seemed able to quite put their finger on. Perhaps it was compassion? Lined up at the foot of the dais which the Shogun's seat was on were the Shogunate guards; six of the seven present with Nagamasa Kuroda away. They all stood, a hand on their swords, despite being the only ones armed in the room.

Sitting close to the dais was the council: the shameless Shogunate henchman; Fujinaga Ishikki the High Councillor, the admittedly creepy and mysterious old Fujitaka Hosokawa; the Spymaster. The Treasurer, Oichi glared at him, and traitor, Toshiie Maeda. The only other council member present was the Commander of the Shogunate Guard; Munetoshi Yagyu.

The only other figure of note stood behind Fujitaka; it was Yoshitsune's personal bodyguard, one he handpicked. The man was an impressive sight; standing taller than anyone in the room. While unarmed and without armour, he was clearly a threatening presence with his muscular physique. His black hair was bound in the traditional topknot; which drew more attention to his horribly scarred face, some criss-crossing. The effect was disturbing, one scar in particular had come right down the side of his face, catching the edge of his lip and making it look like a permanent half snarl. With a sword he would be even more deadly, without it; his hands would be lethal weapons anyway. He was Tadaoki Hosokawa, Fujitaka's son. Oichi bit her lip as she noted, without those scars marring it, Tadaoki would have a striking face, but he was too bitter and aggressive anyways.

Finally the farmer finished his petition and asked for compensation for his damaged goods. At this the young Shogun sat up straight and glared.

"We are at war you miserable cretin." He snarled. "The soldiers are trying to protect the capital and the people within it. Their actions are necessary, for the people they are trying to protect are much more important than mere fools like you, or a few bits of mouldy rice."

The farmer looked up, shocked at this sudden outburst.

"Your lordship I-"

The Shogun shook his head as if he was having seizure. "Enough! Take this man outside and have him beaten for wasting Shogunate time and placing false blame on the soldiers. Also warn the others outside; if they have similar complaints to him, they should just hand themselves over to be beaten instead of wasting my time. Also, I'll hear no more petitions today. Tell those with 'proper' petitions to come back tomorrow."

The guards dragged the farmer out and then the Shogun nodded to his mother who smiled and turned to Munetoshi.

"Lord Yagyu, please step forward."

Munetoshi Yagyu stepped forwards and turned to face the Shogun, he bowed.

Yoshitsune smirked darkly. "Rise, remove your helmet."

Munetoshi stood up and did as asked though obviously confused at the strange request.

Senhime spoke again, her tone soft and deceptively kind.

"You have served with distinction, three generations of Shoguns as I recall; Yoshiteru, Yoshihide and my husband."

Munetoshi nodded. "Yes my lady. And I also serve your son." There was a pause and Senhime smiled again though this time it unnerved Oichi.

Senhime shook her head. "We have made a decision; you have served our family for so long now and are deserving of retirement. You have been... retired from the Shogunate Guard. Nagamasa Kuroda shall take your place as Commander and as for the gap left behind; it shall be filled by Tadaoki Hosokawa." She paused and then added. "You shall be given a castle not far from the capital, with servants to attend to your every need.

Munetoshi's expression changed to a glare.

"You mean people to tend to me like I'm some frail cripple?!" He growled. "You take me for a fool. Do you think I am too old to see what is going on here? Such foolishness!"

With that he suddenly drew his sword, prompting the other guards to do the same. Munetoshi just sneered.

"Idiots! I could carve through all five of you easily!" He growled before throwing his katana down on the floor in front of them. "Keep it boy, and stick it under your pillow. Maybe when Ieyasu takes the Shogunate he'll lie down and cut his head open."

With that he turned and stalked out of the hall; his fury radiating off him.

Following that there was silence, until finally, Fujitaka spoke up.

"I believe we should send some soldiers after him, other than that, I think we're done Your Excellence."

Yoshitsune nodded and stood.

"Yes, I agree, go after him. Everyone else, leave."

The various officials and councillors stood up and left the room.

Finally, after bowing to the Shogun, the members of the Shogunate council also left. Oichi was also about to leave when a sharp call from one of the Shogunate guard stopped her. She turned; Senhime had already left, along with all but Tadaoki, Yoshitsune and the Shogunate guard who called her.

"Lady Oichi, come, I wish to show you something." Yoshitsune called out; an evil smirk on his face.

Trying hard to suppress a shiver she walked over and bowed. "Your Lordship?"

Yoshitsune nodded. "Yes, come this way."

She followed him, flanked by the member of the Shogunate Guard and Tadaoki. They were being led out onto the wall on the inner ward. Sticking out of the wall were several wooden spikes which they stopped next to, Yoshitsune then pointed up at the one nearest them.

"There, a gift for you, a bit rotted but, still recognizable…" He glared at her when she did not respond before screaming at her.

"Look at it!" Oichi looked up and a wordless cry escaped as she beheld the impaled beheaded corpse of her brother. Yoshitsune then directed her attention to the empty spikes next to Nobunaga's.

"There for the other traitors, Masamune, Ieyasu, Motonari... I'll make you a gift of each of their heads..." Still in gazing on in horror, she did not notice that Yoshitsune was moving his face closer to hers. It was only until her vision was obscured by him that she noticed him, and promptly slapped him.

Yoshitsune stepped back and glared at her for slapping him. He then growled, his infatuation turning to anger. "Mother taught me that a man of my station shouldn't hit women... But she said nothing about others doing it for me."

With that he gave a sharp gaze to the Shogunate guard who, following his orders, promptly struck Oichi, making her cry out in pain. She then stepped back and she looked up and glared at Yoshitsune who had his back to her. He was standing at the edge of the wall, looking at the city below.

_'I just need to step... one push and brother will be avenged.'_

She tensed and prepared to step forward; the part of her cheek where the gauntlet had struck stung as it bled.

However before she could move, the giant figure of Tadaoki stepped in front of her. There was an unusual expression on his face, one of kindness; it looked distinctly out of place amongst the scars. He held in his hand a small, yet clean rag and raised it to her cheek, cleaning the blood.

"I wouldn't do that, My Lady." He whispered so only she could hear.

The moment passed and Yoshitsune turned and headed back inside, Oichi found herself escorted back to her chambers, lamenting her missed chance to end the tyrant's life and contemplating Tadaoki's strange behaviour.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	11. Chapter 10

**Samurai Warriors: Rise of the Dragon**

Next chapter of my Samurai Warriors story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Wolfgirl2013: Thanks.  
facebook addicted: Thanks, glad you enjoyed them all, here's the next one :)  
Diao Lover: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, yeah well, the moment's passed I'm afraid. Things aren't going to get better for Oichi yet either.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Samurai Warriors belongs to Koei.

* * *

**Chapter 10: The Dragon's First Gamble**

"So, Nagahide, where is Lord Nobukatsu?" Nagahide finished drinking the last of his tea and looked across at the four warlords who were eyeing him with anticipation. The man started to sweat and forced himself to look away from the intensity of their stares.

"I- I suppose I can't hide it forever. It's better if you see yourself though." Nagahide then stood up, and motioned for the other four to follow. They walked down a rather plain hallway until they reached a sliding door at the end. Nagahide opened it and ushered them inside. The room was surprisingly humble, only having the necessities. A cot was squared away in the corner, and while it was obvious someone was in it, it was difficult to tell who given the rather large figure hovering over the bed. The robed man turned around, walked over to Nagahide and whispered something in his ear.

"Thank You, Frois."

"Of course, Senior Niwa." The man then walked out of the room, leaving four out of six of its occupants confused.

"Who was that?" Masamune asked.

"Luis Frois, he is a missionary that Lord Nobunaga asked to chronicle a history of the times. Recently though he's been serving as Lord Nobukatsu's doctor, which brings me to why I brought you here." Nagahide replied quietly, presumably not to wake the now sleeping child. He then walked over to said child, and slowly shook his shoulder, stirring him out of his sleep with a loud yawn.

"What is it Mr. Niwa? I was having a great dream."

"I'm sorry Lord Nobukatsu, but I've brought some people who want to see you." The child sat up, causing him to let out a horribly rough cough and turned to see the four Daimyo in his room.

The boy froze and then smiled.

"Wow! Your Shingen and Kenshin! Father used to tell me all sorts of stories about you two." This peaked Shingen's curiosity and he could not help but ask.

"And what stories would he tell?"

"He told me all about how the two of you duelled at Kawanakajima. And then he would tell me that if I acted badly, Kenshin would come in the middle of the night and eat me." Kenshin shook his head while Ujiyasu and Shingen started laughing their heads off.

"Maybe Nobunaga wasn't so bad after all. At least, his son and grandson don't sound so bad" Ujiyasu said, between his fits of laughter.

"Quiet down you imbeciles! You'll wake up the entire castle." Masamune shouted.

"And you won't?" Shingen said, only for him to start laughing again. His laughter was then interrupted by a fit of coughing from the young child. Nagahide quickly strode over to him and laid him back down, which seemed to ease his coughing. After putting the child to bed, Nagahide turned around and ushered them out of the room, carefully closing the sliding door.

"You brought us there for a cheap laugh?" Masamune asked, which caused Ujiyasu to crack him over the head with his cane.

"No you fool, Nobukatsu's sick. He was answering your question." Masamune quickly turned around and glared at him, being thankful that his helmet had absorbed most of the blow. Deciding that it was not worth his time, he turned back to Nagahide.

"Nagahide, get the other Oda vassals into the meeting hall."

"Yes sir." Nagahide ran off while Masamune went off to the specified location, leaving the Kanto trio to talk amongst themselves.

Masamune sighed as he stepped out onto the balcony on the top floor of Gifu castle, away from the packed meeting hall. The situation was not as favourable as he had hoped. True the Oda had and their army joined the northern alliance and the fight to retake Mino was already underway, with even more remnants of the Oda loyalists preparing to join them.

'_But how long can I keep these men loyal when Nobukatsu could die any day?'_ He thought bitterly. _'This triumvirate is all well and good and I'd like to think I have them on my side, but their personalities are too different. Nagahide's the only one truly dedicated, and the others... I don't even know what they're thinking.'_

He shook his head; the Oda forces were essential to evening the numbers with the Shogunate forces. Kanbei wouldn't fall for his tricks forever.

"If I had more men it would be better." He fretted.

Finally he shook his head. He needed to talk with everyone and figure out exactly where things stood and what he could do. Then he could formulate his plans properly. Re-entered the meeting hall; the Oda retainers and his allies were all gathered around a large circular table. Masamune took his place and cleared his throat, he looked at each of those present, they stared stolidly back, ready to hear what he had to say.

Finally he cleared his throat and began.

"Nagahide; give a debriefing of the situation." He remarked, slightly impatient.

Nagahide bowed and directed to the map sprawled across the table, indicating the coloured plaques which denoted each army.

"We've received reports from our scouts: the Shogunate army appears to be pulling back to regroup. Many of our formerly besieged outposts are now free and our men are rallying." He paused for a moment, then added. "If we gather them all, we might-"

Masamune shook his head and snapped. "No, you imbecile, gathering them would leave those outposts vulnerable; they must focus on bolstering their defences and send only the men they can spare."

Nagahide quickly nodded.

"Y-yes, of course my lord." He quickly continued. "It would seem that the enemy are all gathering, according to their route we believe that Kanbei and his men are making for Kiyosu Castle in Owari. They intend to reduce our victory however with a scorched earth policy. He has ordered Keiji and his wild men to burn the lands behind them as they go."

Masamune sighed. So, he knew where his opponents were gathered but with them all in one place, dislodging them would be difficult. Once again, numbers were the dangerous factor. Kanbei's numbers would be greater with all his forces gathered in one place than they had been when Ujiyasu faced him at Sunomata, even with Nagamasa's defeat. He knew he would have to play this carefully.

It was then Masamune's attention was drawn to an obvious contingent of the Shogunate army that was not stationed near the others. He pointed it out to Nagahide.

"What this army doing here?" Nagahide quickly explained.

"They've not yet received orders to flee..." He glanced over at Ujiyasu who smirked. "I heard that Lord Fuma killed those messengers. As it is, they are currently guarding the Crossroads of Sekigahara."

That caught Masamune's attention. "If we can take the crossroads, we'll claim a major Shogunate outpost and cut off one of their important supply routes."

"It will need careful preparation." Kenshin remarked. "One must not be blinded in battle, they must be wary of all around them, not just their goal."

Shingen nodded gravely. "As much as I hate to admit it, Kenshin is right. If we attack Sekigahara, Kanbei can just turn his army around and attack Gifu again, especially since we hold his son here."

Masamune scowled at them; just because they were known as genius strategists they felt the need to shove it in his face all the time.

"They think they can treat me like an idiot because of it." He thought, barely holding back a snarl.

He pondered carefully, considering all his options, especially since he noticed that there were three unaligned fiefs directly neighbouring them.

"What of Etchu, Omi, Echizen, where do they stand?" He asked.

Nagahide replied immediately. "Jinbo in Etchu remains aloof; they have merely strengthened their defences. The Azai in Omi have done the same, only Echizen and the ruling Asakura family have sided with the Shogunate."

Masamune sighed; it was time to make his plan and make a move.

"Okay; our first order of business is to claim the crossroads. From there, we can put pressure on the Asakura and at the same time, we can manuver freely and deal with Kanbei and his men where necessary."

He looked at everybody gathered and began to give his orders. "Kenshin, I want you and your men to aid the Oda in defending Gifu. Ujiyasu; I need you and your men to move south, avoid direct battle but harass as many of Kanbei's patrols as you can. Leave the army in constant fear of attack."

They all bowed and Masamune turned to Shingen. "Shingen, you and I will lead our men to the crossroads; we'll defeat the enemy there and seize the supply route."

"It will be well defended; they won't want to give it up easily." Shingen remarked. "That should make for a refreshing battle."

Masamune merely nodded and then announced. "Okay, this war council is over; let's begin!"

They all bowed and stood up, they began leaving. Soon there were only three people in the room, Masamune, Ujiyasu and Kojuro Katakura; Masamune's most loyal retainer.

Ujiyasu took a long draw from his pipe and exhaled, ignoring Masamune's disgusted look.

"You know, even if we do this, we still won't have the numbers to take on Kanbei; and he has more reserves to draw on than we do."

Masamune nodded. "I'm know that. That's why I must go to the crossroads personally. I must ensure that they see the strength I possess. If what we know of him is right, that will frighten Yoshikage Asakura into surrendering without a fight; which will only bolster our numbers even more." Ujiyasu just shook his head.

"And what hare-brained scheme have you come up with for when Kanbei calls in reinforcements form the Capital?"

Masamune gave a grim smile. "I've planned for it but it will be very risky... Kojuro."

Kojuro bowed. "That will not stop me, my lord. I will carry out any task you wish of me."

"I need you to take a ship, sail along the coast. Find Motonari Mori and convince him to at least accept our autonomy and agree to an alliance." He then added.

"Motonari's army is vast, rivalling the Shogunate's in size and with their help, we will be unstoppable. Motonari's a wise man and he will listen to reason, that is if we present it to him."

Kojuro's eyes widened but then he bowed. "I understand, my lord. I shall depart at once."

Ujiyasu sneered. "What your lord is trying to tell you Katakura, is be discreet, remember that."

Kojuro left and Masamune did shortly after that, leaving only Ujiyasu left in the room. He exhaled again, and when he did Kotaro appeared behind him.

"Keep an eye on him Kotaro. I don't trust that brat as much as I trust Shingen." Kotaro disappeared again, leaving Ujiyasu alone once more.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	12. Chapter 11

**Samurai Warriors: Rise of the Dragon**

Final chapter of my Samurai Warriors story, enjoy.

**Reviews**

**Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)  
facebook addicted: Thanks.  
Diao Lover: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, here you go :)  
ShimoRyu: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it all; well, this story is now over as this is the last chapter, but it is only story 1 in a series and the others will be longer :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Samurai Warriors belongs to Koei.

* * *

**Chapter 11: Unexpected Allies, a Crucial Decision**

Gracia bit her lip, determined not to complain. Her feet were in pain, with what felt like large blisters. Yet she didn't want anyone to feel she was weak, so she grit her teeth and endured. Despite the offer from Murashige, her father had refused to take any horses, saying they would only attract attention. As such they simply accepted packs with their supplies for the journey and left Osaka. They were heading to Sakai to meet with more "allies".

Mitsuhide was still being overly secretive about his plans. She was confused and worried, how was she involved? Her father only hinted that she had an important role to play and one that she felt nervous about, despite not knowing what it was. As they walked Gracia was shocked to see the people that walked past them. Mostly farmers, some simple families; yet all looked the same. Starving, despondent, eyeing the armed travellers with suspicion and fear. It was a saddening sight; she pondered on what her father had told her.

"This is all because of the war; all because the current Shogunate is evil... They have to be stopped." She recalled her father's words well. "Fixing it will take time, but it'll never happen under the current Shogunate."

She then heard her father say something and stopped in her tracks like the rest of the group.

"There it is; Sakai. What remains of it after all the food was taken to the capital, at least." He stated blandly, though she thought his voice was ever so slightly shaky.

She looked up and stared in horror at the sight before her.

The once proud merchant city was a shadow of its former self; its walls were dilapidated, liable to break at any moment. None of the gates remained in one piece, shards of iron and wood scattered at their entrances. From the distance, the city streets looked deserted and torn up.

She shakily gasped. "What happened here?"

It was Hanbei who answered her. "The Shogunate ordered them to give up all of their food supply. When they refused Yoshitsune sent in an army, confiscated all of the food, wealth and anything else they could carry and burned down the town for good measure." Katsuie growled, scaring some of the nearby peasants.

"Monsters! The worst kind; they did it because they could." He remarked bitterly. "That's the only reason they did it."

Gracia was horrified by all of this. She felt someone gently touch her shoulder; she turned her head and saw Ranmaru. His expression was tight, but she realized he was trying to convey some form of comfort. She managed a small smile and nodded, to indicate she was okay.

Mitsuhide then spoke. "Come we must hurry. Our allies will be waiting for us and I don't have the luxury of friendship, let alone being late with them." That got him a few curious stares, but before anyone could say something he stated the obvious. "We won't need to sneak in this time."

Gracia sighed; her father was right, one look at the town was enough to confirm there would be nobody there to stop them. So they walked onwards, heading for the nearest gate. Gracia felt slightly relieved that their short rest had allowed some of the pain to ebb away, but now it was returning. However she walked on; she wouldn't disappoint her father by showing signs of weakness, not now.

True enough, when they reached the gates there were no guards present. They were able to walk through, unhindered, into the devastated city.

Inside the city, Gracia saw that there were people still around, but they stayed within the shadows of ruined, ramshackle buildings. They were wary, fearful and suspicious. She realized almost immediately that they were all afraid of the group.

'It's not surprising. We are all armed; they must think we're here to attack them.' She noticed however that in the midst of all this, there was something else in their looks: anger. 'We're still well fed; we've clearly got enough food, unlike them... I have a bad feeling about this.'

They continued to walk until finally they reached a moderately sized tavern that was still standing though it was quite run down. The owner eyed them warily; but after her father pressed some gold in his hands his manner changed. They were shown to their rooms and as the only females in the group, Gracia found herself sharing a room with Lady Nō.

Although she was too polite to complain, Gracia wasn't happy with this arrangement, for no reason other than the fact she felt intimidated by the older woman. She looked around, smiling nervously when she made eye contact with Nō. The room was small and dank, with a faint musty smell but otherwise it was reasonable. Gracia knew that, given the circumstance, they wouldn't find better. She left the room and then stopped at the top of the stairs as she could hear her father's voice. He knew he was addressing someone.

She wondered why her father was being so secretive and so she remained where she was, hidden from view and listened in.

"I'll take Takatora and Toshimitsu with me; we'll be heading for the harbour. There's one dock still in use; that is where we'll meet our allies." He was saying; his voice conspiratorially low.

"Stay here with Katsuie and Lady Nō. You are all to protect Gracia. She is not allowed to leave the inn by herself, and under no circumstances is she to go near the harbour. Understand?"

She heard them agree and footsteps. Now she was curious; what was her father hiding? Why didn't he want her present when he met with his allies, whoever they were? She knew one thing; she wasn't going to find answers staying at the inn, even if her father had her best interests at heart. She had to go after him and find out the truth. The only question was how to escape all the others. She returned to the room. Nō was still there, smiling that usual creepy smile that always seemed to be on her face. Gracia fought back her discomfort and decided to question the woman.

"Where's my father going? What's he up to?"

Nō raised an eyebrow and smirked. "You seem rather interested." She said, barely paying attention to the younger girl, being more interested picking her nails. "It's all part of this plan he has apparently."

Gracia glared; she was getting fed up with this. "Stop being evasive! Tell me the truth; what does my father want me to do? Why does he want me to be part of this plan?"

"My, my..." The older woman's voice was almost taunting. "Hmm, if you're really that interested, you could always sneak out and see."

As she spoke she gestured lightly to the window. Gracia was shocked by this but decided to take her chances. Wondering why Lady Nō wasn't trying to stop her; she carefully climbed out the open window and gently climbed down the side of the building. Dusting herself off she looked around and saw her father. She quickly but quietly took off in pursuit.

It was difficult to follow Mitsuhide; she had to take cover and hide several times as her father seemed edgy, constantly looking over his shoulder. Finally however they arrived at the docks. Diving into a nearby crate Gracia noticed her father and his companions were standing before a massive black ship docked there; it was a foreign design and armed to the teeth. She watched, amazed as an extravagantly dressed man, flanked by two guards wielding two of the longest spears she had even seen in her life, descended the ramp of the ship. Trailing behind the three was a well-dressed Japanese man, utilizing his sword as an impromptu cane, the hilt of which was a crucifix. The four descended the ramp at last, coming face to face with Mitsuhide, Toshimitsu and Takatora, with the Japanese man the first to speak.

"Mitsuhide, I am glad you made it on time." He stated with a bow.

The foreigner smirked. "Yes. I see Ukon was telling the truth about you."

Mitsuhide nodded; watching the man suspiciously. "Yes, and you are?"

"Ah of course, introductions..." The man replied. His accent was strong so Gracia guessed he was a Spaniard. "I am Pedro Cortez, my country's representative. You know why I'm here of course."

Mitsuhide nodded. "Yes, I do. An honour Master Cortez." he said with a bow to the foreigner. Ukon meanwhile was carefully eyeing Takatora and Toshimitsu.

"Can your companions be trusted Mitsuhide?" He asked cautiously.

Mitsuhide nodded. "Yes, I assure you they can." Though even he knew that Toshimitsu could only be truly trusted out of the two.

Pedro's smirk widened. "Now perhaps you will tell me your plan?"

Gracia edged a bit closer, straining her ears to listen in, perhaps now she would get answers.

What she heard horrified her. This couldn't be real; her father, her own father, was selling her out; marrying her off to some stranger! For what, just so he could claim power and rule the land!?

She was just so angry she didn't think clearly; she stepped out of her hiding place and ran straight over to confront him. Throughout the argument, which Toshimitsu and Takatora wisely stayed out of while Pedro just watched in mild amusement, she noted her father was tense. Despite her anger he never once showed any sign of regret. He didn't even deny it; in the end she couldn't take it anymore and fled. She was determined to get as far away from her father as possible.

Mitsuhide sighed and shook his head; this was not how he had wanted her to find out, nor was this the time that she needed too. Pedro's smirk just made him feel worse; he needed to find Gracia and fix this now, before the Spanish withdrew their support. He quickly hurried back to the tavern to find the others and ensure they all went out to find her.

Gracia wasn't paying attention to where she was going; she just wanted to get away. Tears stung her eyes but she refused to let them fall. She felt as if she had been stabbed, her father's betrayal pained her as much as it confused her. She was so lost in her thoughts and grief she didn't realize where she was going until she ran into someone. She stumbled back and was about to apologize but the words died in her throat as she saw the figure she bumped into. He was a tall, muscular looking man with unkempt hair and beard, dressed in rags and armed with a keen-edged dagger. He wasn't alone either, there were at least six more men with him, all dressed in a similar fashion. She had heard of men like this, but never seen them.

She backed up as she saw the way he leered at her. Her father had warned her about these sort of people, warned her to stay far away from them, but now she was right in front of at least seven. She didn't dare look around to see if there were more, not wanting to take her eyes off the ones already in her sight, fearful of what they would do. The man she ran into stepped forwards, grinning evilly.

"Well, well, you're a pretty one." He growled.

"I bet she's a noble's daughter." one of the others said.

"Think of the ransom we could get for her!" another exclaimed. Gracia began to back off but the men stepped forwards, grinning savagely.

That was enough for her she turned and ran, already hearing the sounds of their pursuit.

Unfortunately she didn't get far before she was cut off by another man, blocking her path. She nearly stumbled and tried to quickly find another way to escape; but it was too late. The men pursuing her caught up, the man who had spoken grabbed her, pinning her arms.

"No, let me go! Help! Someone, Hel-MURF!"

She was cut off by the man's large hand clamped hard over her mouth. She kicked her legs, one of them managing to kick one of her kidnapper's shins.

"Why you!" he shouted waiving his knife at her threateningly.

"Let her go!"

Her eyes widened as she saw Ranmaru, nodachi drawn, rushing towards them.

The leader laughed. "Oh, look what we have here; a little boy come to save the little girl. That's one long sword, compensating for something?"

The remark however did not infuriate Ranmaru as intended; he took up a battle stance, dark anger burning in his eyes.

"Let. Her. Go." He warned, enunciated each word with cold fury. The leader laughed and held Gracia himself as the rest of the men went to challenge Ranmaru.

Gracia shuddered as she could feel the cold metal being pressed against her jugular, as the man dragged her deeper into the alley.

"Who is this boy anyway? Your lover?" He asked with that savage grin still on his face. "He should really learn to back off." Gracia refused to reply, her eyes fixed on Ranmaru as he parried attacks from his opponents, waiting for a perfect opening to strike.

The moment one presented itself Ranmaru struck with careful precision. The thug staggered back and fell dead, the blow fatal. That made the others a lot more wary. This wariness however changed things; as Ranmaru attempted to strike again. Before his blow landed one of the thugs lashed out with his dagger. This left a deep cut starting at Ranmaru's left hip and running halfway down his thigh. Taken off balance by the attack Ranmaru stumbled and fell. The thugs seized the advantage and knocked his Nodachi away out of reach, one of the men pinned Ranmaru to the ground and grabbed his hair, pulling his head back, exposing his throat. He held his dagger to Ranmaru's throat and grinned.

"You know boss, this one may be worth something too." said the minion holding the knife to Ranmaru's throat.

"I guess you're right, but he ought to be taught a lesson for doing that." said another minion, pointing to the corpse.

Before they could do anything however one of the men cried out and fell dead. Everybody turned and stared in shock. The new arrival was a scruffy looking young man, armed with the two swords of the samurai. He was glaring at the thugs as he raised his blades towards them.

"Cowards! Attacking an innocent girl, you'll regret this!" He cried. The leader snarled; no doubt annoyed at being interrupted again. "Get him."

The men ran to attack; but to their surprise the young swordsman proved more than a match for them. He cut down most, a few of the remaining ones tried to flee, but were also cut down, even the one threatening Ranmaru. He turned to the leader, who was now holding his dagger to Gracia's throat.

"That's enough." He warned, the tremor in his voice betraying his fear. "Let me go, I'll let the girl go."

The young man glared as he moved, forcing the thug to move too.

"Fool, you honestly think I'd let you go."

The thug shook his head, unaware his back was now to Ranmaru, and Ranmaru could grab the nearby dagger that had been dropped. "I swear, you take one more step, I'll kill her."

Ranmaru grabbed the dagger and lashed out. The man dropped Gracia and cried out in pain, cut short by the swordsman killing him.

The danger passed Gracia hurried to Ranmaru's aid; despite his protests that the wound wasn't serious she insisted on doing what she could to help treat it. It was then her father arrived with the rest of the group.

"Gracia, are you okay, what happened?" He asked desperately, gripping his weapon when he saw the young swordsman, who had now sheathed his blades. "Who is this?"

Gracia shook her head. "Father, it's okay, he saved us."

Mitsuhide relaxed and looked at the man curiously. Sensing this; the man introduced himself.

"I am Musashi Miyamoto; the greatest swordsman in the land."

Mitsuhide nodded slowly and pondered for a moment.

"Musashi, I would like to speak with you, but..." He looked over at Gracia and Ranmaru.

Musashi nodded in understanding and on Mitsuhide's orders Ranmaru and Gracia were escorted back to the tavern where Ranmaru's injury could be properly treated. Mitsuhide then turned to Musashi.

"It is not often we encounter men of such skill, I have a proposition for you, I hope you will listen to it."

Musashi nodded; waiting, wondering what this man could want from him.

Gracia sat alone in the room, trembling. Ranmaru's injury had been treated, he was with the others, Musashi having now joined them as another ally, however she had been told to wait. Her mind flashed back to her father's betrayal, she knew it would have something to do with that. Sure enough, her father arrived. She tensed, waiting for him to speak.

"Do you see now Gracia, why we need you to go along with this plan?" He asked, surprising her.

Her confusion obviously showed as her father then explained further.

"What nearly happened to you, that is one of the many terrible things, some even worse than that, they happen every day." He paused and then added. "But the only way to stop them is for you to marry Tadaoki and he becomes Shogun; only then can we change things. Do you understand?"

Slowly she nodded; the more she thought about it, the more she realized exactly what her father meant. All this suffering, the fear, the destruction of people's lives. It could be stopped, it could be fixed, slowly but surely, but only if she carried out her part. It didn't make things any easier in her opinion, but it certainly put things in perspective.

'I was being selfish; I was putting my personal desires above the needs of everybody else.' She thought quietly. 'The needs of the many must be greater than the needs of the one.'

Finally making up her mind she nodded again, more firmly. "I understand father, I'm sorry, I never... I didn't think it through." Despite her doubts she told him. "I'm ready; I'm ready to do my part."

Mitsuhide smiled sadly and nodded, finally she left the room.

Mitsuhide sighed and turned to follow her when suddenly he dropped to his knees, coughing violently. He fought desperately to get it under control and eventually managed. However his breathing was still heavy and he clutched at his chest, looking down at the blood that had formed beneath him.

"No, not yet..." He muttered in desperation. "Not when I still have so much I need to do."

Forcibly composing himself he stood up and headed downstairs to join the others; it was time to begin, time to form their plans and make their first real move.

* * *

End of chapter and of story; hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


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